Study on Evaluating the Nutritional Status of Preterm Very Low Birth Weight Infants at Discharge
European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine,
2022, Volume 9, Issue 7, Pages 5939-5944
Abstract
Background: The risk factor that is linked with both the morbidity and mortality is estimated to be low birth weight (LBW). LBW is defined by the World Health Organization as weight at birth less than 2500 g. Therefore this study was carried out to evaluate the nutritional status of preterm very low birth weight infants at discharge.Materials and Methodology: This study was carried out as a prospective cohort study which was conducted in the Newborn unit of Department of Pediatrics at Maulana Azad Medical College and associated Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi. During the study period, which was from April 2009- March 2010, the initial screening and enrolment took place between April 2009 to October 2009. A 130 preterm neonates weighing less than 1500 grams were screened for eligibility. 80 subjects were finally enrolled for the study and 51 completed the complete follow up to 3 months corrected post-natal age.
Results: There was no significant difference with regard to any of the maternal characteristics. In none of the 80 infants enrolled for the study was there any evidence of chorio-amnionitis or chronic illness in mother and none of the mothers were smokers. There was no significant difference for the baseline neonatal characteristics between subjects who completed the study and those who were loss to follow up.
Conclusion: Exclusive breast feeding does not decrease the burden of extra uterine growth restriction among very low birth weight preterm infants. It is possible that the extra uterine growth restriction for weight and length would decrease if the infants were followed for a longer time, which is the limitation of this study.
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