Influence of Pregnancy Induced Hypertension on the Birthweight of the New-Born: A Cross Sectional Study

Upasana Raj B, Radha Madhab Tripathy, Vijaya K

Abstract: Introduction: Birth weight is an important indicator and prognostic factor for the health of new-borns, as it reflects the nutritional and metabolic conditions of the mother, as well as foetal development during pregnancy. Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH) is a major contributor of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. This study was conducted to explore the effect of PIH on the birth weight of the newborn. Methodology: A cross sectional observational study was conducted among 150 women with PIH in a maternity hospital following their delivery. The study was carried out for a period of 3 months and the sampling method adapted is the non-probability purposive sampling. The data was collected using a pre designed and pre tested questionnaire. The collected data was then analysed using SPSS software. Results: Among the women with PIH, about 16% mothers delivered babies with less than 2500g, among which, there is one baby with an extremely low birth weight of <1000g. The majority of the mothers were in the age group of 21-25 years. Nearly half (55.3%) of the women are primiparous. Out of 150 cases, 10 cases were referred to a higher center for the management of PIH, among the 140 women, only 134 women delivered live babies and the rest 6 had intrauterine foetal deaths.

Keywords: Pregnancy, Low Birth Weight, PIH, New-born