Association of maternal XXXX with low birth weight and low placental weight: a retrospective investigation.

@entity1 @entity413 @entity4053
CONTEXT: The effects of maternal @entity4053 on birth weight, placental weight, and placental ratio are unclear. A reliable indicator for increased risk of low birth weight or associated low placental weight could prove invaluable in caring for newborns who are small for gestational age. OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively review 2 years of hospital obstetric records for evidence of an association between maternal @entity4053 (< fifth percentile at 24-week 1-hour @entity413 challenge test) and birth weight, placental weight, or placental ratio. METHODS: Medical center records were reviewed for @entity1 who delivered a term newborn between July 1, 2005, and July 31, 2007. @entity1 included in the study were younger than 35 years and had completed a 1-hour @entity413 challenge test during pregnancy. Excluded were @entity1 with comorbid conditions that may be associated with abnormal birth weight and women with serum @entity413 levels greater than 135 mg/dL. RESULTS: Newborns of @entity1 with @entity4053 weighed, on average, significantly less than newborns of @entity1 with normal blood @entity413 levels (t test P=.011). Relative risk was 5.81 (95% confidence interval, 1.25-27.03). Placentas of @entity1 with @entity4053 were also lighter than those of the @entity1 in the control group, but the difference was not significant (t test P=.1089). Differences in placental ratios between the 2 groups were not statistically significant (P=.8171). CONCLUSION: Lower serum @entity413 levels during pregnancy might be a causative factor, rather than merely a risk factor, for lower birth weights.
