Studies in fetal malnutrition.

Fetal malnutrition, a worldwide problem, is accompanied by varying degrees of lifelong morbidity for the child. Only 25% of fetal malnutrition is accomplished by maternal risk factors known to cause intrauterine growth retardation (ie, chronic hypertension, advanced diabetes mellitus, or severe preeclampsia). If the malnourished fetus could be detected early in pregnancy, nutritional intervention might be successful in improving fetal growth rate and in avoiding the morbidity due to malnutrition. This communication reviews the almost 40 years of studies by Jack Metcoff, MD, and coworkers to unravel the causes of fetal malnutrition and their efforts to prevent it.