Morbilidad en Recién Nacidos de Término en Relación a su Edad Gestacional

introduction: newborns of gestational age (ga) 3 37 weeks are considered to be full-term, but they might show increased morbidity. objective: to evaluate morbidity risk between newborns 37-38 weeks ga vs those over 39 weeks. patients and methods: cohort study of all children born at a private clinic in buenos aires between january 1, 2006 and july 31, 2007, product of simple pregnancies and without major congenital abnormalities. a total of 1829 children met the criteria, among which 823 (45%) were 37-38 weeks ga, and 1006 (55%) were 39 weeks or over. the following parameters were recorded: birth route, maternal history and morbidity. morbidity included at least one of the following: respiratory distress > 2 hours post-birth, use of intravenous solutions, jaundice and use of antibiotics. the association between morbidity and ga was evaluated using chi-square, and logistical regression was used to evaluate the relationship between newborn morbidity and ga, birth route or maternal hypertension. results: newborns of 37-38 weeks ga showed higher incidence of each component of morbidity: respiratory distress (or = 2,55 ic 95% = 1,70-3,82), jaundice (or = 2,24 ic95% 1,72-2,29), antibiotic use (or = 2,31 ic 95%= 1,15-4,69) and iv use (or = 2,29 ic95% = 1,57-3,33). multivariate analysis showed that ga 37-38 weeks (or= 1,89 ic95%= 1,31-2,71) and a c-section (or = 1,65 ic95% = 1,18-2,32) constituted independent predictors of morbidity. conclusion: in this experience, a gestacinal age under 39 weeks increases morbidity risk.