Inflammation, brain damage and visual dysfunction in preterm infants.
Antenatal intrauterine infection and the fetal inflammatory response appear to be important pathogenetic factors in preterm birth and subsequent neonatal disorders of the lung and brain. In this paper, we expand this concept to include visual dysfunction. Although present data tend to support our notion, we suggest that more experimental and epidemiological research is needed to elucidate mechanisms of infection/inflammation-induced damage to the eye and visual brain pathways of preterm infants.
Dammann
Olaf
O
Perinatal Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit, Department of Gynecology, Hannover Medical School, OE 6415, 30623 Hannover, Germany. dammann.olaf@mh-hannover.de
Leviton
Alan
A
D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology*; D002821:Chorioamnionitis / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000209:etiology; D012178:Retinopathy of Prematurity / Q000209:etiology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology*