Clinical Features of Late-preterm vs. Term Newborns:A Case-control Study

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to compare the morbidity and mortality of preterm and term neonates who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.Material and Method: In this study, we compared the neonatal problems and mortality rates of 250 late-preterm newborns (gesta-tional age: 34 0/7 – 36 6/7 weeks) and 250 term newborns (gestation-al age: 37–42 weeks) who were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Zeynep Kamil Women and Children’s Diseases Training and Research Hospital from 01.05.2009 to 01.05.2010.Results: Respiratory distress, feeding problems, hypoglycemia, hypothermia, necrotizing enterocolitis, jaundice, and sepsis were significantly more frequent in late-preterms compared to term new-borns. While respiratory distress was observed in 25.2% of late-pre-terms, only 7.2% of terms had respiratory distress. Cesarean deliv-ery, male gender, LGA status, and late-prematurity were statistically significant risk factors for respiratory distress. The late-preterm new-borns were 2.96 times more likely than term newborns to experi-ence feeding problems, 1.12 times more likely to exhibit hypoglyce-mia, and 2.24 times more likely to have indirect hyperbilirubinemia.Conclusion: We conclude that late-preterm newborns have a significantly higher risk of morbidity and mortality than term new-borns. We believe clinicians should be aware of this fact, and the evaluation and follow-up of these newborns, which are usually considered to be ‘term’ for all intents and purposes, should be carried out with greater case.