Analyse des Geburtengutes des Jahrgangs 1992 der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

The physical data of the mother (height, etc.) decisively influence the weight and length-related weight of the newborn (weight-length index). Both body height and weight of the mother have a statistically calculable influence on the somatic development already during the fetal period. The correlation to the body height of the mother outwardly reflects the constitutional/genetic factor, whereas on the other hand, if the maternal body height of several mothers is equal, the weights at birth show a linear increase with the body weight of the pregnant mother. We calculated critical percentile values of changes in birth weight in relation to the gestational age from the 33 rd week of gestation, taking into consideration the body weight and height of the mother. This enables proper classification of eutrophic newborn by relatively small and lightweight or large and heavy mothers, whereas otherwise such newborn would be wrongly classified as hypotrophic or hypertrophic. It is also possible to effect a more accurate classification of any pathological development of the fetus if the physical constitution of the mother is taken into consideration: about 30% of newborn between the 75 th to 90 th percentile or the 25 th to 10 th percentile are really hypertrophic or hypotrophic if the anthropometric maternal data are considered, whereas by conventional somatometric standards they would have been classified as normotrophic (eutrophic). We present a computer programme for a multidimensional classification of newborn taking into consideration the original maternal data (body weight/height). Maternal age, and indirectly also parity, merely seem to be correlated to the weight at birth. Rather, the close relationship between these two values reflects a gain in weight that is statistically linked to age.