Anaemia of Prematurity
- Causes and Risk Factors
Babies who are born premature are at increased risk of having anaemia due to the following factors:
- Decreased production of red blood cells – as premature babies have not had the chance to undergo normal transition in red cell production and the bone marrow is not functioning optimally yet
- Shorter life span or increased rate of breakdown of red blood cells - as the average life span of a neonatal red blood cell is only one-half to two-thirds compared to an adult’s
- Blood loss – such as due to direct trauma during delivery or frequent blood sampling
