PEDIATRICS Vol. 81 No. 6 June 1988, pp. 807-811
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Victora, C. G.
Right arrow Articles by Barros, F. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Victora, C. G.
Right arrow Articles by Barros, F. C.

Influence of Birth Weight on Mortality From Infectious Diseases: A Case-Control Study

C. G. Victora MD, PhD1, P. G. Smith DSc1, J. P. Vaughan MD1, L. C. Nobre MD1, C. Lombardi BSc1, A. M. B. Teixeira MD1, S. M. Fuchs MD1, L. B. Moreira MD1, L. P. Gigante MD1, and F. C. Barros MD, PhD1

1 From the Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil, and the Tropical Epidemiology Unit and the Evaluation and Planning Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London

The association between birth weight and infant mortality from infectious diseases was investigated in a population-based case-control study in two urban areas in southern Brazil. All deaths of children, seven to 364 days of age, occurring in a year were studied and the parents of the 357 infants dying of an infectious cause were interviewed, as were the parents of two neighborhood control infants for each case. Low birth weight infants (<2,500 g) were found, after allowing for confounding factors, to be 2.3 (90% confidence interval = 1.6 to 3.4) times more likely to die of an infection than those of higher birth weight. The odds ratios were 2.0 (1.1 to 3.6) for deaths due to diarrhea, 1.9 (1.0 to 3.6) for respiratory infections, and 5.0 (1.3 to 18.6) for other infections. These estimates of the risks associated with low birth weight are considerably lower than those from studies in developed countries.

Key Words: birth weight • infant mortality • infectious disease • diarrhea • respiratory infection

Submitted on May 26, 1987
Accepted on July 31, 1987




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am J Trop Med HygHome page
B. L. L. Maciel, H. G. Lacerda, J. W. Queiroz, J. Galvao, N. N. Pontes, R. Dimenstein, S. E. McGowan, L. F. C. Pedrosa, and S. M. B. Jeronimo
Association of Nutritional Status with the Response to Infection with Leishmania chagasi
Am J Trop Med Hyg, October 1, 2008; 79(4): 591 - 598.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
B. E. Mahon, V. Ehrenstein, M. Norgaard, L. Pedersen, K. J. Rothman, and H. T. Sorensen
Perinatal Risk Factors for Hospitalization for Pneumococcal Disease in Childhood: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Pediatrics, April 1, 2007; 119(4): e804 - e812.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Clin. Nutr.Home page
S. E Moore, A. C Collinson, and A. M Prentice
Immune function in rural Gambian children is not related to season of birth, birth size, or maternal supplementation status
Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, December 1, 2001; 74(6): 840 - 847.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
W. Yuan, O. Basso, H. T. Sørensen, and J. Olsen
Maternal Prenatal Lifestyle Factors and Infectious Disease in Early Childhood: A Follow-Up Study of Hospitalization Within a Danish Birth Cohort
Pediatrics, February 1, 2001; 107(2): 357 - 362.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 Am. J. Clin. Nutr.Home page
C. G Victora, B. R Kirkwood, A. Ashworth, R. E Black, S. Rogers, S. Sazawal, H. Campbell, and S. Gove
Potential interventions for the prevention of childhood pneumonia in developing countries: improving nutrition
Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, September 1, 1999; 70(3): 309 - 320.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]