Complications of respiratory function in prematurely born children

A premature newborn baby is any newborn born before the 37th gestation week. According to their gestational age at birth, premature newborn babies are divided into extreme premature babies (< 28 week), very early premature babies (28-32 week), early premature babes (32-36 week) and late premature babies (> 36 week). Premature birth leads to disruption and alterations in the structure and function of the respiratory system as well as of the pulmonary and systemic immunity. The lung parenchyma is immature at birth because alveolarization begins at 36-37 week and continues until the eighth year of life (Figure 1).3Compromised development of pulmonary acini resulting in the creation of larger and fewer alveoli with thinned alveolar-capillary membranes and altered capillary vascularization directly leads to reduced respiratory ventilation and perfusion.36 This leaves repercussions not only in this period of life but also further on as a manifested reduced lung capacity for gas exchange.37