13 common health problems in premature babies

Preterm birth is a baby born under 37 weeks of age, when the body has not yet fully completed all the functions needed for living outside the womb. The premature, underweight babies are at risk of facing many serious health problems.

Because of being born when the body is not ready to perfectly adapt to the external environment, premature babies are susceptible to health problems such as:

Suffocate

Asphyxiation in premature babies usually occurs in the prenatal or postnatal period (about 4 weeks). Asphyxiation can cause death of a baby if the situation is not diagnosed and handled promptly by a doctor.

Infection

Premature babies often have   weak resistance and weak immune systems leading to infections such as sepsis, pneumonia, necrotizing enterocolitis. If a pregnant woman gives birth without an unknown cause, a mother with urogenital infection, early rupture of the amniotic fluid, a mother has a fever around the time of labor ... all can cause the baby's infection at birth. Babies who have to resuscitate after birth, babies who are inhaled amniotic fluid are also very susceptible to this disease.

Because symptoms are often difficult to detect and accurately diagnose, the risk of death is very high.

The earlier a premature baby is born, the more disadvantaged in health problems it is.

Body temperature is not stable

This pathology is often seen in low birth weight babies. The most common phenomenon is hypothermia. If not detected and intervened early can cause complications, easy to kill the baby.

Respiratory failure

This is the main reason leading to the risk of death in preterm and low birth weight babies. The more preterm babies are born, the more susceptible to respiratory failure. The most prominent feature of respiratory failure is endothelial disease, which is caused by a deficiency of the active ingredient sulfactan, which is responsible for keeping the bronchial bronchi from collapsing on exhalation. This disease leads to symptoms of cyanosis, breathlessness, ventilator support and possibly death.

Disease jaundice

Babies born prematurely because the liver has not been comprehensively developed and is still premature to fully perform metabolic functions, so it is susceptible to jaundice. This disease is extremely dangerous, if not detected and treated early, it can easily cause neurotoxicity, leaving sequelae for life and even death.

According to statistics, babies weighing less than 1.5 kg at birth, the rate of jaundice is 100%. Therefore, parents must follow the treatment instructions of the doctor to avoid complications occurring for the baby.

Digestive disorders

Due to resistance and incomplete digestive system, premature babies are prone to digestive disorders with symptoms: frequent vomiting, diarrhea, poor appetite, vomiting or bloating, not absorbing nutrients, slow weight gain. The most dangerous complication is necrotizing enterocolitis or perforation due to incomplete development of the intestine, not enough blood so gradually thinning,

Therefore, when children have symptoms of vomiting blue fluid, bloating, poor appetite, they must immediately go to the doctor to be examined and treated promptly.

Preterm birth : The leading cause of death in babies You may hear a lot about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, SIDS, which annually kills more than 2,000 babies, most of them unknown. However, more dangerous than any other disease, premature birth is the biggest threat to the health and safety of children.

Retinopathy

This is considered a very dangerous disease and should be closely monitored for babies weighing 1.5 kg at birth or premature birth under 30 weeks of age. Some babies weighing more than 1.5 kg can still get sick if they need to resuscitate after giving birth. The disease can make children blind, so it should be detected early and treated according to the doctor's plan to avoid leading to unpredictable consequences.

Hematological disorders

Low birth weight premature babies are prone to bleeding, especially lack of coagulation factor due to lack of vitamin K. Children are also prone to anemia due to weak bone marrow function; poor blood absorption factor or a lot of blood is required for testing.

When children have symptoms of poor skin, not being rosy, slowly gaining weight, mothers should bring their children to the doctor in time for proper treatment.

Slowing of physical growth

This health problem is often encountered because breastmilk is not enough to breastfeed or is not well absorbed by the baby. For a long time, it easily leads to malnutrition and does not develop height like other children of the same age.

In this case, the mother should take the baby to the doctor periodically to monitor the weight, head circumference and height. And in necessary cases should consult an expert on appropriate nutrition to help the baby grow taller and healthier.

Neurological diseases

This is a disease that affects the mental and physical development of the child. Infected babies often cause symptoms of convulsions, rolling eyes, turning neck, ...

To prevent danger, parents should regularly take their children to see doctors so that doctors can monitor the activity of the nervous system and measure the head circumference to detect and intervene early if the child has a disease.

Skin diseases

The most common are dermatitis, erythema, purulent infection of the skin, infection of the umbilical cord. If not treated early, bacteria will penetrate inside causing blood infection. Therefore, when you see signs of redness of the umbilical cord or around the umbilical cord, oozing, or smell, you should immediately examine.

In addition, mothers should pay attention to how to care and clean the umbilical cord for the baby to avoid infection, and at the same time clean and keep the baby's groin area always dry and clean. And remember to clean your baby's genitals after each toilet.

Metabolic disorder

Babies born prematurely, under weight can have hypoglycemia, causing cyanosis. The disease also causes lack of brain oxygen, leaving sequelae for the baby. Therefore, when the child has signs such as poor appetite, vomiting a lot, he should see the doctor immediately for diagnosis and treatment.

Breast milk: An important source of nutrients for premature babies. It can be said that nutrition is an important and decisive factor that makes a huge difference to the survival and long-term health of premature babies. Underweight. And the most essential source of nutrition is: Breast milk

There is a risk of autism

According to recent studies, premature babies are at a higher risk of developing psychotic syndrome. The fact that babies born prematurely and underweight is closely related to their cognitive problems, including autism. The  scientists from the University of Pennsylvania (USA) has shown that premature infants at risk for autism is 5 times higher than full-term infants.

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