English

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The study of anthropometric measurements at birth allows construction of intra uterine growth curves and rapid evaluation of the infant who has suffered abnormal intrauterine growth and is at increased risk of postnatal metabolic complications. Present study was performed with objective to find correlation between anthropometric measurements and gestational age, and to construct normograms for all the anthropometric measurements studied. This provides base line data for indigenous population and can be gainfully employed for further studies to know whether simple anthropometric measurements other than birth weight will be useful to quantitate fetal growth and to identify at risk babies in rural community level where there is a paucity of weighing scales. METHODOLGY: Study was conducted on 1284 consecutive live births delivered at Kempegowda institute of medical college and research center. The gestational age of infants was calculated from the first day of LMP, and confirmed by clinical assessment using New Ballard Score. Newborns were subjected to anthropometric measurements within 48 hours of birth by standard techniques. The data obtained was subjected to a computer- based analysis to derive mean, standard deviation and normograms. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The derived normograms shows there is a linear relationship between all the anthropometric measurements studied with gestational age. There is increase in all the anthropometric parameters with increasing gestational age up to 39-40 weeks, after which it started declining. All the anthropometric parameters measured were correlated well to gestational age (p<0.0001). Maximum correlation was found with chest circumference (0.763). Further studies are required to know whether this simple anthropometric measurement can be used to quantitate fetal growth and to identify babies of abnormal fetal growth at rural community level.