Commonest cause of neonatal morbidity in India is?

RRB Staff Nurse Delhi-2015

Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Easy

Appeared in: RRB Staff Nurse Delhi-2015

Explanation

Prematurity and low birth weight (LBW) are the leading causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality in India, accounting for approximately 44.7% of neonatal deaths.
India has a very high incidence of LBW, with about 30% of all live births weighing less than 2500 grams.
These conditions are significant underlying factors that increase the risk for other severe complications like infections (sepsis), respiratory distress, hypothermia, and hypoglycemia.

Option A: Diarrhoeal diseases are a major cause of morbidity in the post-neonatal period (after 28 days) and infancy, not the neonatal period. It accounts for less than 1% of neonatal deaths in India.
Option B: While serious, birth injuries and asphyxia account for a much smaller percentage (around 15.1%) of neonatal problems compared to the overwhelming prevalence of prematurity and LBW.
Option C: Congenital anomalies are responsible for an even smaller fraction of neonatal morbidity and mortality in India, at around 4.3%.

Visual 1: Pie Chart - A pie chart illustrating the percentage distribution of the causes of neonatal deaths in India, clearly showing 'Prematurity & LBW' as the largest segment (44.7%).
Visual 2: Infographic - An infographic comparing neonatal mortality causes (dominated by prematurity, LBW) with post-neonatal mortality causes (dominated by diarrhea, pneumonia).

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Causes of neonatal morbidity in India as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses play a critical role in managing LBW and preterm infants through essential newborn care, including maintaining the warm chain (preventing hypothermia), promoting Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), ensuring feeding, and preventing infections.
Early identification of at-risk pregnancies and providing quality antenatal care can help reduce the incidence of LBW and prematurity.
What if? If the question had asked for the commonest cause of post-neonatal morbidity in India, the answer would shift towards infectious causes like diarrhoeal diseases and acute respiratory infections.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key terms in the question: 'Commonest cause', 'neonatal morbidity', and 'India'.
Recognize that 'neonatal' refers to the first 28 days of life, which is a critical distinction.
Recall or deduce the major public health challenges for newborns in India. This is a question of epidemiology.
Compare the provided options. Prematurity and LBW are foundational issues that lead to many other complications, making them a likely primary cause.
Eliminate options that are more relevant to other age groups (like diarrhoea in older infants) or are less prevalent (like birth injuries and congenital anomalies) compared to the vast number of LBW babies.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Causes of neonatal morbidity in India.
Stem keywords: Commonest cause, neonatal morbidity, India
Lead-in keywords: Commonest
Clinical cues: The question specifies the geographical location 'India', which is crucial as epidemiological data varies by region.
Clinical cues: The term 'neonatal' limits the timeframe to the first 28 days of life.

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