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. 2003 Feb;43(1):46-9.
doi: 10.1046/j.0004-8666.2003.00013.x.

Incidence of fetal macrosomia and birth complications in Chinese immigrant women

Susan Campbell Westerway  1 , John Keogh, Rob Heard, Jonathan Morris
Affiliations

Incidence of fetal macrosomia and birth complications in Chinese immigrant women

Susan Campbell Westerway et al. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2003 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: To compare rates of fetal macrosomia (birthweight > 4000 g) and birth complications in both Chinese women immigrants and Caucasian women for two time periods: 1992 and 1999-2000.

Population: Chinese women immigrants and Caucasian women attending the Royal North Shore Hospital and Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Hospital in Sydney's northern health region.

Methods: Data used were extracted from the Northern Suburbs Area Health Service OBSTET database. Significance of trends were assessed using chi2 test.

Results: The results show a rise in macrosomic babies born to Chinese immigrants from 4% of total Chinese births in 1992 to 9.8% in 1999-2000 (P = 0.02). There was no significant difference in the rate of macrosomia among Caucasian women with respective rates of 11 and 14% for the same periods. The incidence of post-partum haemorrhage increased significantly in both Chinese immigrants and Caucasian women (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Australia has a multicultural population and yet the normal ranges defined for many obstetric investigations do not adjust for ethnicity. The application of values derived from a Caucasian population to other ethnic populations may be inappropriate and conceal important pathologies.

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