A live born neonate has a birth weight of 850 grams. According to WHO classification based on birth weight alone, this infant is categorised as:

• A Low birth weight
• B Extremely low birth weight ✓
• C Very low birth weight
• D Small for gestational age

Explanation

Birth weight categories are fixed cutoffs: low birth weight is below 2500 g, very low birth weight is below 1500 g, and extremely low birth weight is below 1000 g. An infant of 850 g therefore falls in the extremely low birth weight category regardless of gestation. Small for gestational age is a separate classification based on weight relative to gestational age, commonly below the 10th percentile, and cannot be assigned from the weight alone without knowing gestation.

Reference: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 21st ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.