Clinical and Demographic Risk Profiles in the Early Neonatal Period: A Comparative Study of Turkish and Refugee Newborns

Objective: This study explores how basic clinical and demographic factors relate to early neonatal sepsis in term newborns, with a focus on differences between Turkish and refugee populations. Method:We conducted a retrospective analysis of 1,637 term newborns delivered at a tertiary public hospital in İstanbul between May 2023 and May 2025.Collected data included birth weight, Apgar scores, cord blood lactate levels, maternal nationality, and antenatal care status.Suspected early-onset sepsis was defined using clinical signs observed within the first 72 hours.We applied chi-square tests, correlation analysis, and multivariate logistic regression for statistical evaluation.Results: Fewer refugee mothers received adequate antenatal care than Turkish mothers (58.4% vs. 74.9%,p