Small for gestational age offspring of short stature mothers and the risk of respiratory morbidity

Abstract

Small for gestational age (SGA) definition does not distinguish SGA infants who are constitutionally small from small infants with intrauterine growth restriction. It remains challenging to determine whether a neonate is constitutionally small, but this diagnosis is more likely when one or both parents are also small and after excluding other reasons. SGA newborns are at increased risk for pulmonary hypertension and hypoxia. We aimed to study the association between SGA infants born to short-stature mothers (assuming constitutional) and long-term respiratory related morbidity compared to SGA infants born to non-short mothers.