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An attempt to estimate gestational age of newborns using physical characteristics
M A Al-Mansoob1, A S Al-Nuzeili
1Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Sana'a University, PO Box 12092, Sana'a, Republic of Yemen. makalmansoob@y.net.ye
Insights
Five physical characteristics can accurately estimate gestational age in Yemeni newborns. These include skin texture, plantar creases, ear firmness, and skull hardness, offering a baseline for future research.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Pediatrics
- Clinical Assessment
Background:
- Accurate gestational age estimation is crucial for neonatal care.
- Previous studies have explored physical characteristics for gestational age assessment in diverse populations.
- Limited research exists on Yemeni newborns, necessitating population-specific validation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the use of specific physical characteristics for estimating gestational age in Yemeni newborns.
- To compare the predictive accuracy of different physical signs.
- To establish a baseline for future research on neonatal assessment in Yemen.
Main Methods:
- Utilized definitions for 12 physical characteristics.
- Employed simple and multiple regression analyses.
- Estimated gestational age for a cohort of 184 Yemeni newborns.
Main Results:
- Identified five key physical characteristics for reliable gestational age estimation: skin texture, skin opacity, plantar creases, ear firmness, and skull hardness.
- Demonstrated reasonable estimation precision using these five characteristics.
- Found minimal impact on precision when excluding skin opacity and skull hardness.
Conclusions:
- The study provides the first validated method for estimating gestational age using physical characteristics in Yemeni newborns.
- The identified characteristics offer a practical tool for clinical assessment in this population.
- Findings serve as a foundational reference for subsequent research in neonatal medicine in Yemen.
Objective:
To investigate the validity of using some physical characteristics to estimate gestational age of the Yemini newborn babies and to compare the results with the findings of other similar studies.
Methods:
By using the definitions of 12 physical characteristics and the simple and multiple regression methods, the gestational ages of 184 Yemeni newborns were estimated.
Results:
The study has proved that, with reasonable estimation precision, only 5 physical characteristics namely skin texture, skin opacity, plantar creases, ear firmness and skull hardness can be used to estimate the gestational age of the Yemeni newborn babies. Further, estimation precision will be very slightly affected by dropping out both skin opacity and skull hardness from the estimation process.
Conclusion:
As this study is the first of its kind in Yemen, it is important to take its findings into consideration and to use these findings as a base line for relative future research.