Newborns and placental ratio at high altitudes

Abstract

The authors have studied the weights of the newborn and placenta in 111 women living at Rio Pallanga , a mining town located at 4,600 meters of altitude; as control they studied 120 women living in Lima at 150 meters above sea level. At high altitude 24.3% of newborns had a weight lower than 2,500 grams and the mean value of the placental weight was 557 g. significantly higher than at sea level: 500 g. (p<0.005); the placental quotient was higher at Rio Pallanga than in Lima. The physiological rol of the placenta ay high altitude is discussed.