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Small for gestational age birth weight: impact on lung structure and function

Despina D Briana1, Ariadne Malamitsi-Puchner

  • 1Neonatal Division, 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece.

Paediatric Respiratory Reviews
|December 20, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) can lead to lasting lung structure changes, increasing the risk of respiratory deficiencies and chronic airflow obstruction after birth in small for gestational age (SGA) infants.

Area of Science:

  • Perinatology
  • Pulmonary Medicine
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Prenatal compromises causing intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are increasingly linked to postnatal respiratory issues.
  • Epidemiological data suggest that small for gestational age (SGA) birth weight negatively impacts lung function, challenging previous notions of accelerated lung maturation.
  • The mechanisms underlying the association between SGA and impaired lung function are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and synthesize the effects of IUGR on fetal lung development and subsequent lung structure and function.
  • To discuss the proposed mechanisms linking IUGR to chronic respiratory problems.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of epidemiological and animal studies.
  • Synthesis of data on fetal adaptations to intrauterine undernutrition and their impact on lung development.

Main Results:

  • IUGR and associated factors like fetal hypoxemia and hypercortisolemia can negatively impact intrauterine lung development.
  • Fetal adaptations to undernutrition may result in permanent alterations to lung structure.
  • These structural changes are hypothesized to lead to chronic airflow obstruction later in life.

Conclusions:

  • IUGR poses a significant risk for impaired lung development and function postnatally.
  • Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for identifying potential interventions to mitigate long-term respiratory consequences.

Keywords:
Chronic obstructive lung diseaseFetusRespiratory distress syndromeRespiratory functionSurfactant system

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