All issues > Volume 48(7); 2005

Clinical Lecture

Korean J Pediatr. 2005;48(7):685-690. Published online July 15, 2005.

Twins

Oh Kyung OK Lee¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Presbyterian Medical Center, Jeonju, Korea

Correspondence Oh Kyung OK Lee ,Email: okleepmc@netian.com

Abstract

Recently, twinning rate increases in Korea since the early 1990s by delayed marriage and prevailing of assisted reproductive technology. But twin and higher-order multiples are at increased risk for perinatal and neonatal mortality over 5 fold despite of dramatic improvement of perinatal and neonatal care. Because twins are born more prematurely and have lower birth weights than singleton. In addition, twins are at increased risk for cerebral palsy mainly in monochorionic twins due to co- twin fetal death, twin to twin transfusion and congenital anomaly. So, this article reviews the factors contributing to the mortality and morbidity of the twins and the efforts to decrease the neonatal mortality of twins.

Keywords :Twins , Prematurity