[Effect of premature birth risk and prenatal care on the maturity and morbidity of the newborn infant].

Risk of premature birth was evaluated according to the prematurity risk score proposed by Thalhammer 1973 in 610 newborn infants hospitalized during 1974 to 1979 at the Division of Neonatology and Congenital Disorders of the Department of Pediatrics, University of Vienna. 324 infants had a birth weight of less than 2501 grams and 286 infants a birth weight of more than 2500 grams. Prematurity risk was compared with regard to prenatal care to birth weight and gestational age as well as to the duration of hospital stay, the incidence of respiratory distress syndrome, the need of ventilatory support and the mortality rate. Quality of prenatal care was judged from the frequency of medical attendances obtained during pregnancy. Less than 0,5 medical visits for 4 weeks were classified as bad prenatal care, more than 0,8 visits as good prenatal care. At any prematurity risk newborn infants from pregnancies with good prenatal care had a higher gestational age and a higher birth weight. They also had shorter hospital admissions, less frequent a respiratory distress syndrome or the need for ventilatory support and a lower mortality rate. The benefit of good prenatal care was supported further by the finding that important individual risk factors as well as the total prematurity risk score was the same in infants without respiratory distress syndrome but birth weights below 2501 grams as well as in infants with the respiratory distress syndrome in infants with ventilatory support and in infants who died. The mothers on the other hand of the healthy newborn infants weighing below 2501 grams shared significantly more medical attendances during pregnancy.