Premature children

2005/01/16 Rementeria Argote, Nagore - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa

• Osasuna
• Medikuntza

As technology advances, premature children have higher quality of life.

As for the weight of premature children, a girl who at birth the record weighed 240 grams, has almost four months and according to doctors will be able to advance.

His name is Rumaisa and he was born on September 19 with his twin sister. The twins were not born by themselves, of course, of the maternal uterus that were removed by cesarean section, since the doctors were clear that the lives of the little ones and the mother were in danger.

It is not easy to decide what to do in these cases. Is it worth wanting to keep such an early child alive? Doctors cannot tell if their organs are sufficiently developed. X-rays make it possible to distinguish large abnormalities, but until apparently normal organs are launched they do not know if the child will move forward.

In premature children, weight is more important than time in the womb. They say the border is at week 23: before that the child's lungs are so immature that the child will not be able to breathe with the help of a machine.

In adolescence they may have more difficulty learning preemies, more boys than girls.

Rumaisa and her sister were born when they were about to turn 26 weeks away from the usual 38-40 weeks, but at least after the 23rd week limit. Knowing they were to be removed from his mother's womb, they gave him steroids. These hormones accelerate lung development and the fetus begins to prepare to breathe on its own.

A tough challenge

Neonatology is responsible for caring for children born before their age. Advances in research are slow, and the biggest challenge of neonatology is to understand how the organs of the fetus develop in the uterus to imitate them in some way outside. In fact, the premature child will have to develop in the womb in a hospital cradle, and it is convenient for him to know the needs of the child.

In fact, among all animals, man is the only species capable of premature birth. If a lamb was born a week earlier than he would, he would die because the internal organs cannot start working on their own. However, a human's lungs are willing to start breathing on their own from 34-35 weeks, so premature children born from week 34 do not need important treatment. Just keep the incubator warm and collect the food and caresses of the mother.

During pregnancy it is important to follow up by the gynecologist, taking care of the health of both the child and the mother.

Real problems are those born before 34 weeks. And they have to get going with totally immature organs. And especially those children have to take care of them in neonatology. In addition to the lungs, the brain and digestive system are prepared for birth. And doctors are mostly concerned about the brain.

Surprisingly, girls are more likely to progress if they are born before the season. Statistics indicate this. Having two X chromosomes seems to give them an advantage. The hormonal secretion that girls suffer at birth helps especially the development of the brain. And the biggest difference is seen in adolescence.

In fact, children born before the season may not develop enough brain and delay their studies. But it is not always so. In 1989 a girl named Madeleine was born in Rumaisa and her twin sister in the same hospital, at the Loyola Medical Center in Chicago. It was then only 280 grams. But with the help of specialists he managed to advance. And it is currently among the best of its kind. Therefore, Madelein has had no problem at an intellectual level, although its size is smaller than its classmate, as it barely measures 1.36 meters below 1.62 on average.

They are miracles

When the fetus is in the womb, the internal organs develop so that after birth they work on their own.

However, it must be clear that the fact that children like Madeleine have advanced is an exception. Some use the term mirari. But from the point of view of reality, in general, it can be said that children under 500 grams barely have a chance to survive.

At present the fetus can advance 24-25 weeks but not always. Imagine that they have done just over half of their pregnancy. Below is not intended. The decision, of course, is agreed by parents and doctors, but if they see that a child will be born very early, parents are told that this child is not viable. But the debate is often difficult, as it is difficult to distinguish where the border is.

When the child is too immature, his life is not long. In short, the decision is ethical. Doubts arise, and medicine is not mathematical and you cannot predict what will happen.

Published in 7K.