Aberrant fetal growth and early, late, and postneonatal mortality: an analysis of Milwaukee births, 1996-2007.

OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to ascertain the association between fetal growth (small- [SGA], appropriate- [AGA], and large-for-gestational-age [LGA]) and early, late, and postneonatal mortality. STUDY DESIGN Birth certificate data for nonanomalous singletons, delivered from 1996 to 2007, were obtained for Milwaukee residents. Multivariate logistic regression analyses, adjusted for 19 covariates, determined the association between fetal growth and mortality. RESULTS Among the 123,383 live births, SGA was 57% higher than LGA (11% vs 7%). The infant mortality rate for SGA was 11.0, AGA, 5.3, and LGA, 2.7/1000 live births. SGA was a significant risk factor for early (adjusted odds ratio, 2.66) and late (2.06) but not postneonatal mortality. The adjusted risk of mortality for LGA was not significantly different from AGA. Over 12 years, 3 types of mortality for aberrant fetal growth did not change significantly. CONCLUSION In the city of Milwaukee, aberrant fetal growth was variably associated with early, late, and postneonatal mortality.