Abstract
BackgroundThe incidence of preterm births is increasing and has become a global health concern. This study aimed to compare the outcome of late preterm (LPT) to full term (FT) neonates at two large hospitals in Upper Egypt.ResultsOut of 250 newborns included in the study, 180 (72%) were FT and 70 (28%) were LPT. More than half of the LPT newborns (52.9%) were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), compared with 26.7% of FT newborns. Delivery of LPT was associated with an increased risk of neonatal morbidity, including jaundice requiring phototherapy (34.3% vs. 7.8%), respiratory morbidities (32.9% vs. 13.9%), hypoglycemia (8.6% vs. 1.7 %), and convulsions (4.3% vs. 0.6%).ConclusionsLPT neonates were more susceptible to suffer from jaundice and respiratory distress among other morbidities. They also had a higher rate of NICU admission, longer duration of NICU stay, as well as a higher mortality rate. The best treatment of late prematurity is to prevent it. Public and professional awareness of the problems associated with late prematurity should be highlighted. Follow-up programs for early detection and intervention for long term complications are recommended.
Highlights
The incidence of preterm births is increasing and has become a global health concern
Comparison between late preterm (LPT) births and full term (FT) births in the present study indicated that mothers of LPT neonates were more likely to have had a previous preterm birth, which agrees with results reported by McDonald and his colleagues [27]
Our results showed that LPT neonates were more frequently admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) compared with FT neonates; no significant difference was observed in NICU readmissions
Summary
The incidence of preterm births is increasing and has become a global health concern. This study aimed to compare the outcome of late preterm (LPT) to full term (FT) neonates at two large hospitals in Upper Egypt. Term infants are defined as those with a gestational age 37 to 41 weeks [1]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), preterm birth is defined as the delivery of an infant before the completion of 37 weeks of gestation [2, 3]. The incidence of preterm births is increasing in many countries around the world and has become a global health concern [4]. Late preterm infants are born at a gestational age between 34 weeks and 0 day and 36 weeks and 6 days
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