JGZ-richtlijn 'Te vroeg en/of small for gestational age (SGA) geboren kinderen [Dutch Preventive Youth Health Care Service guideline on children born too early and/or too small for gestational age]

Conflict of interest and financial support: disclosure forms provided by the authors are available along with the full text of this article at www.ntvg.nl, search for A6745; click on ‘Belangenverstrengeling’ (‘Conflict of interest’). The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development provided a subsidy (subsidy no 156000009) to the...

Trends in birth weight and the prevalence of low birth weight and small-for-gestational-age in Surinamese South Asian babies since 1974: cross-sectional study of three birth cohorts

Background South Asian babies born in developed countries are generally lighter than babies from other ethnic groups born in the same country. While the mean birth weight of Caucasian babies in the Netherlands has increased the past decades, it is unknown if the mean birth weight of South Asian babies born in the Netherlands has increased or if...

Preterm birth and later insulin resistance: Effects of birth weight and postnatal growth in a population based longitudinal study from birth into adult life

Aims/hypothesis: An increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with low birthweight after full-term gestation, including amplification of this risk by weight gain during infancy and adult body composition. Premature birth is also associated with insulin resistance, but studies conducted so far have not provided follow-up into...

Anthropometry of Malawian live births between 35 and 41 weeks of gestation

The aim of this analysis was to construct cross-sectional gestational age specific percentile curves for birthweight, length, head and mid-arm circumference for Malawian babies, and to compare these percentiles with reference values for babies born to women with normal pregnancies, from a developed country. A cross-sectional study which enrolled...

Is blood pressure increased 19 years after intrauterine growth restriction and preterm birth? A prospective follow-up study in the Netherlands

Objective. To determine whether intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a predisposing factor for high blood pressure (BP) in 19-year-olds who were born (very) preterm. Methods. A prospective follow-up study was conducted at age 19 in individuals who born preterm in the Netherlands in 1983. Systolic, diastolic, and mean BP values and plasma...

Catch-up growth in Malawian babies, a longitudinal study of normal and low birthweight babies born in a malarious endemic area

Introduction: Infant growth has not been studied in developing countries in relation to maternal factors related to malaria in pregnancy and maternal illiteracy. Objective: To describe growth patterns in infants with low and normal birthweight and determine maternal risk factors for infant undernutrition. Methods: Babies born in a rural district...

Reliability of classification of cerebral palsy in low-birthweight children in four countries

The reliability of classification of cerebral palsy (CP) in low-birthweight children was assessed by using clinical and research study records sampled from population-based cohort studies in the USA, the Netherlands, Canada, and Germany. Records of neurological examination findings and functional motor assessments were submitted to up to five...

PERISTAT: Indicators for monitoring and evaluating perinatal health in Europe

Background: The PERISTAT project aimed to develop an indicator set for monitoring and describing perinatal health in Europe. The challenge was to define indicators that cover common concerns and have the same meaning within the different European health care systems. Methods: PERISTAT included i) a review of existing recommendations on perinatal...

The association between birth weight and plasma fibrinogen is abolished after the elimination of genetic influences

Low birth weight is associated with an increased risk of atherothrombosis, which may be related in part to the association between low birth weight and high plasma fibrinogen. The association between birth weight and fibrinogen may be explained by intrauterine, socio-economic or genetic factors. We examined birth weight and fibrinogen in 52...

The reliability of perinatal and neonatal mortality rates: Differential under-reporting in linked professional registers vs. Dutch civil registers

Official Dutch perinatal mortality rates are based on birth and death certificates. These civil registration data are not detailed enough for international comparisons or extensive epidemiological research. In this study, we linked and extrapolated three national incomplete, professional registers from midwives, obstetricians and paediatricians,...

Gevolgen van vroeggeboorte : Veel medische consumptie en lichamelijke beperkingen; enquete onder ouders van 10-jarigen [Sequelae of preterm birth : Much medical consumption and physical handicaps; enquiry among parents of children at age 10]

Objective. To determine health and disabilities of preterm infants at age 10. Design. Prospective follow-up study. Setting. TNO Preventie en Gezondheid, sector Jeugd, Leiden, the Netherlands. Method. A questionnaire on medical consumption and physical disabilities was sent to the parents of a Dutch cohort of infants born alive in 1983 with a...

Sex difference in disability and handicap at five years of age in children born at very short gestation

Objective. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between sex and disabilities or handicaps at 5 years of age in infants born at less than 32 weeks gestation. Design. From the nationwide collaborative survey starting in 1983, including perinatal data obtained during routine perinatal care and follow-up assessments by the...

Percentielgrenzen voor geboortegewicht van vroeggeborenen moeten worden herzien [The birthweight percentiles of preterm infants need to be updated]

Objective. To analyse whether the conventional so-called Kloosterman charts for birthweight of preterm infants based on data from 1931-1965 are still valid. Design. Descriptive investigation. Location. The Netherlands. Methods. Data were obtained from the 'project of the premature and small for gestational age' (POPS) survey in 1983. The...

School performance at nine years of age in very premature and very low birth weight infants: Perinatal risk factors and predictors at five years of age

To assess the impact of both perinatal disorders and developmental problems identified at preschool age on school performance, we followed a virtually complete birth cohort of very premature (<32 completed weeks of gestation) and very low birth weight infants until they were 9 years of age. In 84% of the survivors (n = 813), data on school...

Prediction of height achievement at five years of age in children born very preterm or with very low birth weight: Continuation of catch-up growth after two years of age

To predict height at five years in a cohort of 565 very preterm and/or very low-birth-weight children, hypothesized growth determinants were subjected to discriminant analysis. Many neonatal parameters were not significantly associated with short stature at five years of age. A correct classification of stature (smaller/larger than the 10th...

Transient hypothyroxinaemia associated with developmental delay in very preterm infants

In 563 surviving very preterm (<32 weeks gestational age) and/or very low birthweight (<1500 g) infants the relationship between neonatal thyroxine concentration and psychomotor development at 2 years of age (corrected for preterm birth) was studied. A significant association was found between low neonatal thyroxine concentration and a negative...