Birthweight percentiles by gestational age in Kuwait

Area of Science:

• Perinatology
• Neonatal Health
• Public Health

Background:

• Accurate fetal growth assessment is vital for identifying birthweight abnormalities.
• Existing international birthweight curves may not accurately reflect local populations.
• Population-specific growth charts are essential for precise clinical assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a reference curve for singleton birthweight based on gestational age in Kuwait.
• To compare Kuwaiti birthweight percentiles with international standards.
• To evaluate the impact of using different growth curves on the diagnosis of small or large for gestational age newborns.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 35,768 singleton live births (22-44 weeks gestation) from 1998-2000 in Kuwait.
• Exclusion of neonates with congenital anomalies or unrecorded gestational age.
• Development of smoothed total population and gender-specific birthweight percentile curves.

Main Results:

• Birthweight percentile curves for the Kuwaiti population were generated.
• Significant ethnic variations in birthweight were observed.
• International curves overestimated small for gestational age and underestimated large for gestational age newborns in this population.

Conclusions:

• The accuracy of diagnosing birthweight abnormalities depends on the reference growth curve used.
• Population-specific fetal growth curves are necessary for reliable birthweight distribution assessment.
• Ultrasonography-dated fetal growth curves provide a dependable reference for Kuwaiti newborns.