Definition |
Infants with a birth weight below the 10th percentile for their gestational age. |
Infants with a birth weight above the 90th percentile for their gestational age. |
Common Causes |
- Maternal smoking or substance abuse
- Maternal malnutrition
- Placental insufficiency
- Intrauterine infections (e.g., TORCH infections)
- Chromosomal abnormalities (e.g., trisomy 21)
- Preeclampsia or hypertensive disorders
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- Maternal diabetes (gestational or pre-existing)
- Maternal obesity
- Post-term pregnancy (>42 weeks)
- Genetic factors (large parents)
- Excessive maternal weight gain during pregnancy
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Risks |
- Increased risk of perinatal mortality
- Hypothermia and hypoglycemia after birth
- Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR)
- Neonatal asphyxia
- Developmental delays
- Increased risk of metabolic diseases later in life (e.g., cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes)
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- Shoulder dystocia during delivery
- Increased risk of cesarean section or operative delivery
- Birth trauma (e.g., brachial plexus injury, clavicle fracture)
- Neonatal hypoglycemia
- Increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life
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Management |
- Frequent antenatal monitoring (e.g., Doppler studies, ultrasounds)
- Optimize maternal health (nutrition, avoiding harmful substances)
- Consider early delivery in cases of severe intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR)
- Monitor for neonatal hypoglycemia and other complications after birth
- Follow-up for growth and developmental milestones
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- Monitor maternal glucose levels closely in diabetic mothers
- Consider elective delivery if the fetus is macrosomic to reduce the risk of birth trauma
- Monitor for neonatal hypoglycemia after birth
- Appropriate labor management (e.g., avoiding difficult vaginal delivery if fetal macrosomia is suspected)
- Follow-up for metabolic complications later in life (e.g., diabetes)
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