What health problems do premature babies have?

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Thi My Linh - Neonatologist - Pediatrics - Neonatology Department - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital. Specialist I Nguyen Thi My Linh has 12 years of experience in diagnosing and treating pediatric diseases, especially neonatal resuscitation and neonatal treatment.

Premature babies are counted when they are born before 37 weeks of age. Babies born prematurely are faced with many health risks, affecting later development and even death immediately after birth and the first years after birth. Depending on the degree of preterm birth and the condition of the baby after birth, the health problems that the baby may encounter will be different.

Premature babies often have respiratory diseases because their respiratory systems are not yet fully developed. Babies can have difficulty breathing, respiratory distress, and even pauses in breathing that last 20 seconds or more in the first few days after birth. This condition is common in premature babies less than 34 weeks.
In addition, children are very susceptible to pneumonia and bronchitis, leading to dangerous complications such as chronic respiratory disorders, high risk of death.
Infants born less than 32 weeks prematurely with mechanical ventilation due to incomplete lung function may have bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia in premature infants is very dangerous, with a high probability of death due to increased pulmonary artery pressure leading to pulmonary fibrosis, atelectasis, and serious infection. In September 2016, Vinmec Times City International General Hospital used stem cell therapy to treat pulmonary fibrosis caused by bronchopulmonary dysplasia, saving the life of a 4-month-old baby with a history of premature birth at 30 weeks. The success was published in the American Journal of Case Reports (USA).

The blood vessels of premature babies are quite weak, unable to maintain normal blood volume and stabilize blood circulation. Therefore, premature babies born prematurely can have low blood pressure, affecting cardiovascular activities later in life.

One of the problems that premature babies often face is digestive disorders. The digestive system of premature babies is very immature and immature, so they are very susceptible to digestive disorders, necrotizing enterocolitis, especially premature babies who are not breastfed.

The blood cells of premature babies are still very weak, easily leading to blood disorders such as anemia, jaundice, blood infections... because the baby's blood cells are still weak due to not fully developed. .

Weak immune system is the cause of premature birth or illness, difficult to recover health. The younger the baby is born, the less time the immune system has had enough time to mature, and the child can contract many diseases and be susceptible to infections from the surrounding environment.

Do premature babies have developmental delays? It is very difficult to answer this question exactly. The rate of development depends on the condition of each child, but in general, premature babies have a slow metabolic rate, which hinders the functioning of the body's organs and makes it easier to produce abnormal hormones.

Babies born prematurely can have vision and hearing problems. Therefore, doctors often check the hearing and observation ability of premature babies right from the first days after birth to take timely intervention measures.
Infants born less than 30 weeks premature or weighing less than 1.5 kg have a high risk of retinopathy. If not detected and treated early, the disease can cause blindness.
Premature babies are at high risk of vision and hearing problems because these organs are not fully developed. Parents need to check in the early days to be able to intervene.

One of the serious health problems that premature babies face is cerebral palsy. This is a neurological disorder that causes muscle weakness, limiting normal movements. Cerebral palsy in premature babies is caused by abnormal blood circulation and underdeveloped nervous system.
Preterm infants under 30 weeks of age need to be closely monitored during the first few days after birth because the baby can have a brain hemorrhage that can lead to death.

The underdeveloped nervous system can also cause behavioral disorders in premature babies such as: poor cognition, hyperactivity,...

Recently, medical researchers have discovered that premature babies born prematurely have a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome than full-term babies. The risk was even more than tripled in babies born 24 to 27 weeks premature.
To reduce the risk of health problems in premature babies, parents should take care of their babies carefully, breastfeed their babies, and avoid exposing them to sources of disease and infection. , take the baby for regular health check-ups and full vaccinations under the doctor's instructions. In addition, the problem of taking care of premature babies right after birth and the first days after birth also greatly affects the health of children later on. If the child is well cared for and effectively treated for problems after birth, the possibility of stable health and healthy development is very high.