Learn → Glossary → clinical condition

Low Birth Weight

Birth weight less than 2,500 g (5 lb 8 oz), associated with increased perinatal mortality and long-term chronic disease risk.

Also: LBW

Subcategories: very low birth weight (VLBW, <1,500 g) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW, <1,000 g). Causes include preterm birth and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Long-term risks include the metabolic adaptations described by the DOHaD hypothesis: obesity, T2DM, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease in adulthood.

How one textbook covers it

  • Krause and Mahan's Food and the Nutrition Care Process, 16th ed. — Chapter 43

    Subcategories: very low birth weight (VLBW, <1,500 g) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW, <1,000 g). Causes include preterm birth and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Long-term risks include the metabolic adaptations described by the DOHaD hypothesis: obesity, T2DM, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease in adulthood.

Related terms

Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, Intrauterine Growth Restriction, Macrosomia