Risk factors and acute complications of small for gestational age term newborns

Aim: to describe the risk factors in the mothers which could contribute to the sga babies and acute complications in sga babies. methods: this descriptive study was carried out in the departments of obstetrics and paediatric medicine,nishtar hospital,multan from march 2013 to december 2013. a total of 50 small for gestational age full term newborns were included in the study. result: the results of study showed that the percentage of sga was 6.5% with male to female ratio of 1.1: 1. and 72% sga babies in this study were asymmetrical. most common risk factors present in the mothers of sga babies were malnutrition (52%),pregnancy at the extremes of age (72%) and a short inter-pregnancy interval (<1 year) 46.7%. lack of antenatal care visits and hypertensive disease of pregnancy were present in 42% mothers in each and majority of mothers of sga babies belonged to low socioeconomic status (68%). conclusion: the most common complications developed in the sga babies were hypothermia,perinatal asphyxia,hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and hypocalcaemia.