What causes apnea of prematurity?
Apnea of prematurity may be due to a disturbance in the brain’s breathing control center, called central apnea. With obstructive apnea, breathing stops because something is blocking the airway. Problems in other organs can also affect the breathing control center. Apnea of prematurity may not have an identifiable cause other than immaturity of the central nervous system. However, apnea of prematurity may have other causes. Some of these include: • bleeding or tissue damage in the brain • respiratory disease • infections • gastrointestinal problems such as reflux (when the stomach contents move back up into the esophagus) • too low or too high levels of chemicals in the body, such as glucose or calcium • heart or blood vessel problems • immature neurologic system • stimulation of reflexes that can trigger apnea such as with feeding tubes or suctioning, or when a baby’s neck is very flexed • unstable temperature • unknown Who is affected by apnea of prematurity? Most babies who develop a
