Frequency and immediate neonatal prognosis of low birth weight neonates in Parakou (Benin) in 2018

Introduction: Infant and child mortality remains high in Benin and is sustained by neonatal mortality which has stagnated for decades. Low birth weight (LBW) is recognized to be an important risk factor for neonatal death worldwide and serves as an indicator of perinatal death. Objective: The objective is to establish the relationship between LBW and immediate neonatal prognosis in the city of Parakou (Benin). Patients and methods: This was a cross-sectional study with a descriptive and analytical aim. A prospective collection of data on neonates born from pregnancies with a gestational age of at least 22 weeks of amenorrhea was carried out. It was conducted in three health structures drawn randomly from ten structures in the city of Parakou from May 15 to July 14, 2018. The study included all live neonates. The recruitment of neonates was subject to an oral informed consent of their mothers. We excluded from this study any malformed neonate, any neonate who died in utero and any neonate born from a multiple pregnancy. The data collected were processed and analyzed using Epi Data 3.1, Microsoft Excel 2007 and Epi Info version 7.1.5.0 software. Statistical inferences (Chi-Square test, Person test, Yates correction, Ficher's exact test and their confidence intervals) were used to check the level of association between LBW and morbid situations and then immediate mortality. The research protocol was submitted to the local ethics committee of the University of Parakou and obtained its approval under the reference 0121/CLERB-UP/P/SP/R/SA of May 5, 2018. Results: The frequency of LBW was 16.9%. LBW was associated with poor adaptation to extrauterine life (p=0.000), neonatal resuscitation (p=0.000) and early neonatal mortality (p=0.000). Birth weight in neonates with LBW was inversely related to the risk of death within 24 hours of life. Conclusion: One in six neonates had LBW in the city of Parakou in 2018. LBW at birth was a state at risk of neonatal resuscitation and early death. Reducing neonatal mortality requires preventing low birth weight.