Factors associated with chronic lung disease in preterm infants

Article Abstract:

It is not uncommon for infants who are born prematurely to have lung problems or conditions that require artificial ventilation (mechanical breathing assistance). Between 1983 and 1989, 659 infants born before the 30th week of pregnancy were admitted to the Mersey Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Liverpool Maternity Hospital in England. Of these preterm infants, 195 required artificial ventilation for the first 4 days of life and survived for at least 28 days. Forty-five percent of these infants developed chronic lung disease. The infants who developed lung disease weighed less, were born earlier, required artificial ventilation for longer periods of time, were more likely to have been delivered vaginally and fed lipid emulsions (used to promote growth in sick preterm infants), and had a higher incidence of septicemia (infection with pus-forming bacteria in the blood) than the infants who did not develop chronic lung disease. During the seven-year study period, the incidence of lung disease increased seven-fold. Of all of the factors listed above, only the use of lipid emulsions in preterm infants could account for the increased incidence (number of new cases) of chronic lung disease. The authors caution that, until new evidence is available, lipid emulsions should only be used in older infants. The benefits obtained from feeding sick preterm infants with lipid emulsions are greatly outweighed by the risks for developing chronic lung disease. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Risk factors, Diseases, Infants (Premature), Premature infants, Lung diseases, Infant formulas

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Five year outcome of preterm sextuplets related to size at birth

Article Abstract:

An infant's birth weight may be influenced by many genetic and environmental factors, including maternal size and age, mother's nutrition, how many children the mother had previously, and her smoking habits. Although evidence suggests that smaller babies may be neurologically disadvantaged, it is difficult to make such generalizations about birth weight. Multiple births provide the opportunity to study the long-term effect of potential intrauterine growth retardation if the infants were of different sizes, indicating uneven growth, while in the presence of identical conditions during pregnancy. One set of preterm sextuplet girls was evaluated every year for five years, and no serious illnesses or developmental problems were found. Assessment of motor, visual and verbal skills, neurological function, growth, and IQ (intelligence quotient) was made by impartial observers. All the children were growing normally and had typical brain scans. In addition, no behavioral or neurological disorders were documented. IQ scores ranged from 105 to 116. The largest sextuplet at birth continued to be the largest and maintained the highest IQ, but no relationship between birth weight and developmental outcome could be inferred. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Complications and side effects, Fetus, Physiological aspects, Growth, Fetal growth retardation, Child development, Variation (Biology), Birth weight, Fetal development, Multiple birth, Birth size, Sextuplets

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