EFFECT OF INTRAUTERINE NUTRITIONAL DEPRIVATION ON NEUROMOTOR BEHAVIOUR OF THE NEWBORN

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Abstract
The neurological maturation in 25 newborn babies born to severely undernourished mothers was studied by evaluating muscle tone and excitability status. These mothers had weight below the 25th percentile expected for height, Hb less than 80.0 g/l and serum albumin less than 25.0 g/l. Babies [23] born to healthy mothers were studied as control. The babies of undernourished mothers demonstrated gross intrauterine growth retardation. There occurred parallel reduction in placental weight and its protein content. The neuromotor behavior of these newborns showed significant alteration in the performance of most reflexes, resembling normal motor behavior of preterm infants. As many as 72% newborns could be classified as hypotonic and 56% hypoexcitable. No newborn demonstrated hypertonia or hyperexcitability. The parameters of neuromotor assessment were found to have no correlation with the birth weight in either undernourished or control groups. Muscle tone and excitability are better indices of maturation of CNS than the birth weight. The neurological evaluation evidently becomes unreliable in babies who suffer from intrauterine nutritional deprivation.

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