Health Issues in Survivors of Prematurity
Health Issues in Survivors of Prematurity
As technologic capability increases, so does the number of survivors of prematurity. By definition, a premature infant is one that is delivered before 37 completed weeks of gestation. More than 400,000 premature infants are born each year in the United States, an incidence of 11.6% of all live births. As expected, the smallest and most immature infants have the greatest long-term problems. Table 1 lists the current mortality rate and expected birth weight associated with each level of gestation. Long-term morbidity in these infants includes chronic lung disease, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, and vision and hearing impairments.
As technologic capability increases, so does the number of survivors of prematurity. By definition, a premature infant is one that is delivered before 37 completed weeks of gestation. More than 400,000 premature infants are born each year in the United States, an incidence of 11.6% of all live births. As expected, the smallest and most immature infants have the greatest long-term problems. Table 1 lists the current mortality rate and expected birth weight associated with each level of gestation. Long-term morbidity in these infants includes chronic lung disease, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, and vision and hearing impairments.
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