DETECTION OF FETAL MALNUTRITION BY CLINICAL ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS SCORE (CAN SCORE) AT BIRTH AND ITS COMPARISON WITH OTHER METHODS OF DETERMINING INTRA UTERINE GROWTH AND STUDY OF GESTATIONAL AGE AND PARITY ASSOCIATED WITH FETAL MALNUTRION

Abstract

Introduction: The fundamental tenet of human development is nutrition, which is also one of the risk factors for rising new born morbidity and mortality. Fetal malnutrition is a serious condition marked by evident intrauterine loss or failure to acquire a typical amount of subcutaneous fat or muscle. It is a vital state that sets the stage for proper growth and neurodevelopment throughout life. India has received a score of 101out of 116 on the global hunger index for 2021 in developing nations. Materials and Methods: Live born, singleton neonates with a gestational age of ≥34 weeks who were brought for a regular checkup immediately after birth in the outpatient department and neonates whose hospital stay exceeded 24 hours of birth in Government General Hospital were enrolled. A total of 50 neonates brought to Government General Hospital from January 2021 to December 2021 were studied. Interviews were conducted with the parents of the children who met the criteria for selection and who agreed to take part in the study, and information regarding the baby's sex, gestational age, time of delivery, and the mother's history of multiple pregnancies was gathered. The latest menstrual period (LMP) date was used to calculate the gestational age in accordance with clinical evaluation using New Ballard's Scoring and first trimester ultrasonography. Within 48 hours of the birth, all the infants underwent a protocol-required systematic examination.
Results: The CANSCORE ranged from 18 to 36, and the mean and median CANSCORE was 27.84±4.61and 28 (IQR 4.5), respectively. The PI ranged from 2 to 3, and the mean and median PI was2.44±0.26 and 2.36 (IQR 0.40), respectively. The MAC/HC ratio ranged from
0.23 to 0.33, and the mean and median MAC/HC ratio was 0.29±0.02 and 0.28 (IQR 0.03), respectively. In the present study, 76% of the neonates had CANSCORE of ≥25, and 24%had and20% had MAC/HC ratio of <0.27. In the present study, 68% of the neonates were boys, and 32% were girls. However, 66.67% of the boys had CANSCORE of <25 compared to 33.33% of the girls, and the difference was statistically not significant (p=0.586).  CANSCORE of <25. In the present study, 80% of the neonates had MAC/HC ratio of ≥0.27, and20% had MAC/HC ratio of <0.27. In the present study, 68% of the neonates were boys, and 32% were girls. However, 66.67% of the boys had CANSCORE of <25 compared to 33.33% of the girls, and the difference was statistically not significant (p=0.586).