Relationship between Birth Weight, Placental Weight and Apgar score in Dosso, Niger Republic

Introduction: Birth weight (BW) is a significant indicator of neonates' health at birth and reflects the mother's reproductive health. Placental weight (PW) and its ratio to BW has been associated with some adult-onset of diseases. In the present study, the relationship between BW, PW and Apgar score (AS) of babies born between 1996-2006 in Dosso Regional Hospital was analyzed. Methods: Dataset of 10,540 maternity records, which include BW, PW and AS were collected from the maternity unit of the Dosso Regional Hospital. The data were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests to investigate sexual dimorphism in newborn parameters between males and females and evaluate the relationship between BW, PW and Apgar score. Results: BW and PW were sexually dimorphic with male neonates having significantly heavier weights than female. Though females have significantly higher AS. BW was significantly associated with PW (male: r = 0.37, P <0.001; female: r = 0.0.40, P <0.001) and 5-minute AS (male: r = 0.12, P <0.01; female: r = 0.15, P <0.01). PW is also significantly associated with AS (male: r = 0.08, P <0.01; female: r = 0.10, P <0.01). Conclusion: BW was significantly and positively associated with PW and AS.