Risk Factors for Low Birth Weight Infants: A Study in Tertiary Level Hospital of Bangladesh

This descriptive study focused on low-birth-weight (LBW) newborns' hospitalization during their first three days of life, with the aim of investigating common complications in these infants. The study was conducted at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh, encompassing the period from July 2019 to June 2021. Written informed consent was obtained from the participants, and data were collected using a pre-designed proforma and analyzed using SPSS 26. Out of 1511 deliveries at the hospital, 565 newborns were identified as LBW, resulting in a prevalence of 37.4%. Among the LBW babies, 55.8% were male and 44.2% were female. During their initial hospitalization, 41.9% (237 out of 565) of LBW newborns experienced various immediate problems, either alone or in combination. The most prevalent complications among these admitted LBW newborns were jaundice (40.1%), birth asphyxia (25.7%), respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) (21.1%), hypothermia (19.8%), hypoglycemia (19.0%), congenital malformations (6.3%), necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) (5.1%), and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) (4.2%). The study highlighted that major complications faced by these LBW infants were jaundice, birth asphyxia, hypothermia, hypoglycemia, RDS, and sepsis. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the health challenges faced by LBW newborns during their initial hospitalization, and they emphasize the importance of early detection and management of these complications to improve outcomes for these vulnerable infants.