Twin pregnancy: the impact of the Higgins Nutrition Intervention Program on maternal and neonatal outComes1

 Twin pregnancy: the impact of the Higgins Nutrition Intervention Program on maternal and neonatal outComes1
Sheila Dubois, Cynthia Dougherty, Marie-Paule Duquette,
James A Hanley, and Jean-Marie Moutquin
ABSTRACT Perinatal outcomes were compared between
354 twins treated with the Higgins Nutrition Intervention Program and 686 untreated twins. After differing distributions of
key confounding variables were adjusted for, the twins in the
intervention group weighed an average of 80 g more (P < 0.06)
than the nonintervention twins; their low-birth-weight rate was
25% lower (P < 0.05) and their very-low-birth-weight rate was
almost 50% lower (P < 0.05). Although the rate of preterm delivery was 30% lower in the intervention group (P < 0.05), the
rates of intrauterine growth retardation were similar in the two
groups. Fetal mortality was slightly higher (14 vs 12 per 1000,
NS), but early neonatal mortality was fivefold lower (3 vs 19
per 1000, P < 0.06) in the intervention group. Maternal morbidity was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the intervention
group. There was a trend towards lower infant morbidity in the
intervention group. These results suggest that nutritional intervention can significantly improve twin-pregnancy outcome. Am J C/in Nuir 199 1;53: 1 397- 1403.
KEY WORDS Twin pregnancy, nutrition  intervention,
birth weight, morbidity, mortality