Definition of "Low birth weight"
Last modified: 2 days
. Is that what LBW is?
Umm
, if you're playing cricket, sure. In medicine, it means low birth weight 
.
So if they're born preterm, which is before 37 weeks, because they're out early. Or if they are actually small for their gestation, which can be because mom or dad are petite, or because there's some pathological issue causing that.
It can be an issue with mom, or the environment. Mom might be super young, have twins or triplets, previous bubs who've been born light. She might have bad nutrition, heart disease, high blood pressure. There might be abuse with drugs or alcohol. Bub might not have been well looked after whilst mom was pregnant. There's also environment type exposures, like to smoking, lead, and other pollutants.
Normal weight is 2.5-4kg, so birth weight is low when it's <2.5kg. But there's also very low, and extremely low. Very low is <1.5kg. Extremely low is <1kg.
They can have disease or even die around birth time. It can decrease physical and brain development. It can also result in chronic diseases later in their life.
Low birth weight (LBW) is birth weight <2.5kg, regardless of gestational age.
Patient information
Warney got bowled out by an LBW, wooooh . Is that what LBW is?Umm
, if you're playing cricket, sure. In medicine, it means low birth weight .
What's normal, and what's "down, down, weight is down" ?
Birth weight is normally 2.5-4kg. So anything <2.5kg is low.
Cause
- Preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation), i.e. low gestational age at birth
- Infant being SGA (i.e. slow prenatal growth rate), which can be constitutional, or secondary to IUGR, which in turn can be caused by various factors
Patient information
What makes bub born below 2.5kg?So if they're born preterm, which is before 37 weeks, because they're out early. Or if they are actually small for their gestation, which can be because mom or dad are petite, or because there's some pathological issue causing that.
Risk factors
- Maternal:
- Young age
- Multiple pregnancies
- Previous LBW infants
- Poor nutrition
- Heart disease
- HTN
- Drug addiction
- Alcohol abuse
- Insufficient prenatal care
- Environmental:
- Smoking
- Lead exposure
- Other types of air pollutions
Patient information
What makes it more likely for bub to be born <2.5kg?It can be an issue with mom, or the environment. Mom might be super young, have twins or triplets, previous bubs who've been born light. She might have bad nutrition, heart disease, high blood pressure. There might be abuse with drugs or alcohol. Bub might not have been well looked after whilst mom was pregnant. There's also environment type exposures, like to smoking, lead, and other pollutants.
Classification
- Normal weight at term delivery is 2.5-4.2kg
- Low birth weight (LBW) is birth weight <2.5kg
- Very low birth weight (VLBW) is birth weight <1.5kg
- Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) is birth weight <1kg
Patient information
How do you classify low weight?Normal weight is 2.5-4kg, so birth weight is low when it's <2.5kg. But there's also very low, and extremely low. Very low is <1.5kg. Extremely low is <1kg.
Measurement is age and gender dependent, so requires use of a relevant percentile graph. These include:
Complications
- Perinatal mortality and morbidity
- Inhibited growth and cognitive development
- Chronic diseases later in life
Patient information
What bad things can happen because of bub being born <2.5kg?They can have disease or even die around birth time. It can decrease physical and brain development. It can also result in chronic diseases later in their life.
See also
- Macrosomia (antonym)
Synonyms:
ELBW
Extremely low birth weight
Extremely low birthweight
LBW
Low birthweight
Very low birth weight
Very low birthweight
VLBW
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