Description of Full-Term Infants Hospitalized for Poor Weight Gain in the First Month of Life
Clara Van der Meijden1, Cécile Bost-Bru2, Sophia Cherif-Alami3
1Pediatric Department, Centre Hospitalier Métropole Savoie, Place Lucien Biset, 73000, Chambéry, France.
Insights
Poor weight gain in full-term infants under one month old is often due to insufficient intake. Identifying risk factors and increasing surveillance could reduce hospitalizations for this common issue.
Area of Science:
- Neonatalogy
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Public Health
Background:
- Poor weight gain is a frequent cause for hospitalizing infants under one month.
- This condition affects full-term newborns within their first month of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causes of poor weight gain in hospitalized full-term infants.
- To analyze the epidemiology and diagnostic approaches for this condition.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study design.
- Data collected from four French hospitals.
- Inclusion criteria: full-term infants under one month hospitalized for poor weight gain.
Main Results:
- Intake deficiency was the primary cause (72.8%) of poor weight gain.
- Jaundice (12.1%) and infections (8.3%) were other significant etiologies.
- No specific predisposing factors for intake deficiency were identified.
Conclusions:
- Intake deficiency is the leading diagnosis for hospitalized infants with poor weight gain.
- Further research into risk factors for intake deficiency is warranted.
- Enhanced surveillance and early identification of at-risk infants may decrease hospitalizations.
Background:
Poor weight gain in infants under one month old is a common reason for hospitalization.
Objectives:
We aimed to study the etiologies of poor weight gain in hospitalized full-term infants under one month old, as well as the type of population epidemiology and diagnostic tests performed.
Methods:
The design was a retrospective study, with data obtained from four French hospitals, evaluating full-term infants less than one month who were hospitalized for poor weight gain.
Results:
Of the 313 children hospitalized for poor weight gain included in our study, the main etiologies were intake deficiency (72.8%), jaundice (12.1%) and infections (8.3%). Our study population comprised 55.9% male, the mean age at the time of hospitalization was 11.4 days (+/- 5), and 64.5% were exclusively breastfed. We found no predisposing factors for intake deficiency.
Conclusion:
In full-term infants hospitalized for poor weight gain in their first month of life, intake deficiency appears to be the most frequent diagnosis, without other identifiable distinctive factors in our study. Identifying risk factors for intake deficiency and suggesting increased surveillance of at-risk infants could help limit its occurrence, reduce the need for invasive tests carried out and decrease the resulting number of hospitalizations.
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