Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-19T02:51:42.717Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Low birth weight, very low birth weight and extremely low birth weight in African children aged between 0 and 5 years old: a systematic review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 April 2016

M. E. Tchamo ,
A. Prista  and
C. G. Leandro
M. E. Tchamo
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Pedagogic University, Maputo, Mozambique
A. Prista
Affiliation:
Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Pedagogic University, Maputo, Mozambique
C. G. Leandro*
Affiliation:
Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, CAV, Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil
*
*Address for correspondence: C. G. Leandro, Núcleo de Educação Física e Ciências do Esporte-Universidade Federal de Pernambuco-Vitória de Santo Antão-PE, Brasil. (Email [email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Low birth weight (LBW<2500), very low birth weight (VLBW<1500), extremely low birth weight (ELBW<1500) infants are at high risk for growth failure that result in delayed development. Africa is a continent that presents high rates of children born with LBW, VLBW and ELBW particularly sub-Saharan Africa. To review the existing literature that explores the repercussions of LBW, VLBW and ELBW on growth, neurodevelopmental outcome and mortality in African children aged 0–5 years old. A systematic review of peer-reviewed articles using Academic Search Complete in the following databases: PubMed, Scopus and Scholar Google. Quantitatives studies that investigated the association between LBW, VLBW, ELBW with growth, neurodevelopmental outcome and mortality, published between 2008 and 2015 were included. African studies with humans were eligible for inclusion. From the total of 2205 articles, 12 articles were identified as relevant and were subsequently reviewed in full version. Significant associations were found between LBW, VLBW and ELBW with growth, neurodevelopmental outcome and mortality. Surviving VLBW and ELBW showed increased risk of death, growth retardation and delayed neurodevelopment. Post-neonatal interventions need to be carried out in order to minimize the short-term effects of VLBW and ELBW.

Keywords

African childrenbirth weightgrowthnewborn children
Type
Review
Information
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , Volume 7 , Issue 4 , August 2016 , pp. 408 - 415
Check for updates
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press and the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Andersen, A, Jensen, KJ, Erikstrup, C, et al. Both very low- and very high in vitro cytokine responses were associated with infant death in low-birth-weight children from Guinea Bissau. PLoS One. 2014; 9, e93562.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2. Rylance, S, Ward, J. Early mortality of very low-birthweight infants at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Malawi. Paediatr Int Child Health. 2013; 33, 91–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3. Sania, A, Spiegelman, D, Rich-Edwards, J, et al. The contribution of preterm birth and intrauterine growth restriction to infant mortality in Tanzania. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2014; 28, 23–31.Google Scholar
4. Wardlaw, T, Blanc, A, Zupan, J, Åhman, E. LBW: Country, Regional and Global Estimate. 2004. WHO Publications: New York.Google Scholar
5. Say, L, Donner, A, Gulmezoglu, AM, Taljaard, M, Piaggio, G. The prevalence of stillbirths: a systematic review. Reprod Health . 2006; 3, 1.Google Scholar
6. Goldenberg, RL, Culhane, JF. Low birth weight in the United States. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007; 85, 584S–590S.Google Scholar
7. Ballot, DE, Potterton, J, Chirwa, T, Hilburn, N, Cooper, PA. Developmental outcome of very low birth weight infants in a developing country. BMC Pediatr. 2012; 12, 11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8. Hack, M, Klein, N. Young adult attainments of preterm infants. JAMA. 2006; 295, 695–696.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9. Horbar, JD, Carpenter, JH, Badger, GJ, et al. Mortality and neonatal morbidity among infants 501 to 1500 grams from 2000 to 2009. Pediatrics. 2012; 129, 1019–1026.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10. Litt, JS, Gerry Taylor, H, Margevicius, S, et al. Academic achievement of adolescents born with extremely low birth weight. Acta Paediatr. 2012; 101, 1240–1245.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11. Namiiro, FB, Mugalu, J, McAdams, RM, Ndeezi, G. Poor birth weight recovery among low birth weight/preterm infants following hospital discharge in Kampala, Uganda. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2012; 12, 1.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12. Milabyo Kyamusugulwa, P. Low birth weight in Maniema (Democratic Republic of Congo). Sante. 2006; 16, 103–107.Google Scholar
13. Tema, T. Prevalence and determinants of low birth weight in Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia. East Afr Med J. 2006; 83, 366–371.Google Scholar
14. Ticconi, C, Arpino, C, Longo, B, Mapfumo, M. Prevalence and risk factors for low birth weight in Northern Zimbabwe. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2005; 88, 146–147.Google Scholar
15. Rugolo, LM. Growth and developmental outcomes of the extremely preterm infant. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2005; 81(Suppl. 1), S101–S110.Google Scholar
16. Garn, SM. Relationship between birth weight and subsequent weight gain. Am J Clin Nutr. 1985; 42, 57–60.Google Scholar
17. Powls, A, Botting, N, Cooke, RW, Marlow, N. Motor impairment in children 12 to 13 years old with a birthweight of less than 1250 g. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 1995; 73, F62–F66.Google Scholar
18. Holsti, L, Grunau, RV, Whitfield, MF. Developmental coordination disorder in extremely low birth weight children at nine years. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2002; 23, 9–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19. Njokanma, OF, Egri-Okwaji, MT, Babalola, JO. Early postnatal growth of preterm low birth weight, appropriately-sized infants. Niger J Clin Pract. 2008; 11, 104–110.Google ScholarPubMed
20. Mackay, CA, Ballot, DE, Cooper, PA. Growth of a cohort of very low birth weight infants in Johannesburg, South Africa. BMC Pediatr. 2011; 11, 50.Google Scholar
21. Olusanya, BO, Renner, JK. Predictors of growth velocity in early infancy in a resource-poor setting. Early Hum Dev. 2011; 87, 647–652.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22. Lango, MO, Horn, AR, Harrison, MC. Growth velocity of extremely low birth weight preterms at a tertiary neonatal unit in South Africa. J Trop Pediatr. 2013; 59, 79–83.Google Scholar
23. Burger, M, Frieg, A, Louw, QA. General movements as a predictive tool of the neurological outcome in very low and extremely low birth weight infants – a South African perspective. Early Hum Dev. 2011; 87, 303–308.Google Scholar
24. Gladstone, M, White, S, Kafulafula, G, Neilson, JP, van den Broek, N. Post-neonatal mortality, morbidity, and developmental outcome after ultrasound-dated preterm birth in rural Malawi: a community-based cohort study. PLoS Med. 2011; 8, e1001121.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25. Ahlsen, AK, Spong, E, Kafumba, N, Kamwendo, F, Wolff, K. Born too small: who survives in the public hospitals in Lilongwe, Malawi? Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2015; 100, F150–F154.Google Scholar
26. Ballot, DE, Chirwa, T, Ramdin, T, et al. Comparison of morbidity and mortality of very low birth weight infants in a Central Hospital in Johannesburg between 2006/2007 and 2013. BMC Pediatr. 2015; 15, 20.Google Scholar
27. Hong, R, Ruiz-Beltran, M. Low birth weight as a risk factor for infant mortality in Egypt. East Mediterr Health J. 2008; 14, 992–1002.Google Scholar
28. Padonou, G, Cottrell, G, Guerra, J, Choudat, I. Factors associated with growth patterns from birth to 18 months in a Beninese cohort of children. Acta Tropica. 2014; 135, 1–9.Google Scholar
29. Niklasson, A, Engstrom, E, Hard, AL, Wikland, KA, Hellstrom, A. Growth in very preterm children: a longitudinal study. Pediatr Res. 2003; 54, 899–905.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30. Hack, M, Schluchter, M, Cartar, L, Rahman, M, Cuttler, L, Borawski, E. Growth of very low birth weight infants to age 20 years. Pediatrics. 2003; 112(Pt 1), e30–e38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
31. Singhal, A, Wells, J, Cole, TJ, Fewtrell, M, Lucas, A. Programming of lean body mass: a link between birth weight, obesity, and cardiovascular disease? Am J Clin Nutr. 2003; 77, 726–730.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
32. Parlee, SD, MacDougald, OA. Maternal nutrition and risk of obesity in offspring: the Trojan horse of developmental plasticity. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2014; 1842, 495–506.Google Scholar
33. Hales, CN, Barker, DJ. Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus: the thrifty phenotype hypothesis. Int J Epidemiol. 2013; 42, 1215–1222.Google Scholar
34. Westwood, M, Kramer, MS, Munz, D, Lovett, JM, Watters, GV. Growth and development of full-term nonasphyxiated small-for-gestational-age newborns: follow-up through adolescence. Pediatrics. 1983; 71, 376–382.Google Scholar
35. Bosu, WK. An overview of the nutrition transition in West Africa: implications for non-communicable diseases. Proc Nutr Soc. 2015; 74, 466–477.Google Scholar
36. dos Santos, FK, Maia, JA, Gomes, TN, et al. Secular trends in growth and nutritional status of Mozambican school-aged children and adolescents. PLoS One. 2014; 9, e114068.Google Scholar
37. Marlow, N, Wolke, D, Bracewell, MA, Samara, M. Neurologic and developmental disability at six years of age after extremely preterm birth. N Engl J Med. 2005; 352, 9–19.Google Scholar
38. Aylward, GP. Neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants born prematurely. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2005; 26, 427–440.Google Scholar
39. Hack, M. Survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2007; 45(Suppl. 3), S141–S142.Google Scholar
40. Delobel-Ayoub, M, Kaminski, M, Marret, S, et al. Behavioral outcome at 3 years of age in very preterm infants: the EPIPAGE study. Pediatrics. 2006; 117, 1996–2005.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
41. Papavasiliou, AS. Management of motor problems in cerebral palsy: a critical update for the clinician. Eur J Paediatr Neurol. 2009; 13, 387–396.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
42. Moura-Dos-Santos, M, Wellington-Barros, J, Brito-Almeida, M, et al. Permanent deficits in handgrip strength and running speed performance in low birth weight children. American Journal of Human Biology : The Official Journal of the Human Biology Council. 2013; 25, 58–62.Google Scholar
43. Moura-Dos-Santos, MA, De Almeida, MB, Manhaes-De-Castro, R, et al. Birthweight, body composition, and motor performance in 7-to 10-year-old children. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2015; 57, 470–475.Google Scholar
44. Rosenbaum, P. Classification of abnormal neurological outcome. Early Hum Dev. 2006; 82, 167–171.Google Scholar
45. Velaphi, SCR. N reducing neonatal deaths in South Africa – are we there yet and what can be done? South African J Child Health. 2012; 6, 67–71.Google Scholar
46. Kulmala, T, Vaahtera, M, Ndekha, M, et al. The importance of preterm births for peri- and neonatal mortality in rural Malawi. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2000; 14, 219–226.Google Scholar