The effect of intrauterine development and nutritional status on perinatal mortality

Objective. To study the influence of bodily development and nutritional status on perinatal mortality. Methods. The authors developed a new method, the MDN system (MDN: Maturity, Development, Nutritional Status), to determine the development and nutritional status of newborns based on their weight and length standard positions. Using data of 680,947 neonates born in the 7 years from 1997 to 2003 in Hungary, they computed the perinatal mortality (PM) rate of each developmental groups of neonates. Results. PM in the group of neonates of absolute average development was 7 parts per thousand, 30 parts per thousand in the proportionally retarded group and it was 90 parts per thousand in the extremely overnourished group. The PM rate was the highest (191 parts per thousand) in the extremely undernourished group. Conclusions. Both bodily development and nourishment have a major impact on PM. The MDN system is a suitable method to differentiate the most endangered groups of neonates based on their development and nutritional status.