Department of Child Health, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Semin Fetal Neonatal Med. 2012 Apr;17(2):77-81. doi: 10.1016/j.siny.2012.01.004. Epub 2012 Jan 23.
In recent years, the rate of preterm births has risen in many industrialised countries with late preterm births forming a substantial proportion of the preterm births. Late preterm infants are delivered at the immature saccular stage of lung development when surfactant and antioxidant systems are still developing. It is now increasingly recognised that late preterm infants have increased respiratory morbidity in the neonatal period. In addition, late preterm infants are at an increased risk of lower respiratory tract infections in infancy from respiratory viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus. There is a paucity of data reporting lung function in infancy and childhood in late preterm born children. The available data suggest that children born late preterm may be at risk of decreased lung function in later life. However, further studies are required to assess the medium and long term respiratory consequences of late preterm birth.
近年来，许多工业化国家的早产儿出生率有所上升，其中晚期早产儿占早产儿的很大比例。晚期早产儿在肺发育的未成熟囊泡期分娩，此时表面活性剂和抗氧化系统仍在发育中。现在人们越来越认识到，晚期早产儿在新生儿期有更高的呼吸发病率。此外，晚期早产儿由于呼吸道合胞病毒等呼吸道病毒，在婴儿期患下呼吸道感染的风险增加。关于晚期早产儿出生的婴儿在婴儿期和儿童期的肺功能数据很少。现有数据表明，晚期早产儿出生的儿童在以后的生活中可能有肺功能下降的风险。然而，需要进一步的研究来评估晚期早产儿出生的中期和长期呼吸后果。
