Specific Risks for the Preterm Infant

Abstract

Preterm birth – birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation – occurs in approximately 5–18% of births worldwide. Babies born preterm have increased mortality and are at a greater risk of morbidity and long-term adverse outcomes than infants born at term. Though the rate of preterm birth is relatively lower in developed countries than in developing countries, prematurity is the leading cause of neonatal mortality in both developing and developed countries. Infants born prematurely have less time to develop in utero, and their organs and body systems are still undergoing physiological development process at the time of birth. This immaturity of body organs combined with low birth weight puts preterm infants at risk of developing various short- and long-term complications. Babies born extremely preterm (<28 weeks of gestation) are at highest risk of developing medical problems that are specific and unique to the preterm population, and they should be managed differently to term infants during hospitalization in the neonatal period.