© 1983 by Oxford University Press
research-article |
The Immediate Prospects, Problems and Perils of Sixty-seven Low Birth Weight Babies
Lecturers in Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ife Ile-Ife, Nigeria
*All correspondence to: Dr. G. A. Oyedeji, Dept. of Paediatrics & Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Sixty-seven low birth weight babies admitted to the neonatal unit (Hurford Ward) of the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa between January and December 1979 are reviewed.
The overall mortality rate was 43.3 per cent and higher mortality figures were associated with lower birth weights, shorter gestational ages and lower one-minute Apgar scores.
Infection, jaundice, apnoea, and hypothermia were commonly associated with death.
Suggestions for improvement are made within the context of a poor technologically underdeveloped community.