[Comparison of patients with congenital abnormalities, intrauterine growth retardation and developmental delay in relation to the pre- and perinatal period].

There are substantial differences in the family history, the history of pregnancy and delivery and the course in the first week of life of patients with congenital malformations and patients with developmental or intrauterine growth retardation. Patients with malformations demonstrate a high degree of relatives with malformations; in contrast problems in pregnancy, delivery and postnatal development are less pronounced. Mothers of children with intrauterine growth retardation present with a history of early abortion, prematurity, bleeding, toxemia of pregnancy and tobacco abuse. These children present a great number of problems during the first week of life. Patients with mental retardation present with a history of previous abortion prematurity and tobacco and alcohol abuse during pregnancy. These children also present with significant morbidity in the first week of life. The history of these children discloses an unusual number of siblings with death in early life.