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Immunologic Deficiencies in Small‐for‐Dates Neonates
Author(s) -
XANTHOU M.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1985.tb10124.x
Subject(s) - immunocompetence , medicine , immunologic function , immunology , immune system , immunologic deficiency syndromes , antibody , humoral immunity
. Health is dependent upon good nutrition because of the interactions of immunologic function with nutritional status. Full‐term neonates—and even more so prematures—present with various immaturities of their humoral and cellular immunologic mechanisms, particularly during the first days of life. Foetal growth retardation causes further deficiencies to the immature neonatal host defence mechanisms by decreasing thymic hormone activity and by reducing the numbers and activity of T and B‐lymphocytes in their peripheral blood. Furthermore, very low levels of IgG 1 immunoglobulin and reduced bacteriocidal capacity of polymorphonuclear neutrophils have been found in small‐for‐dates neonates. Impaired im‐munocompetence in growth‐retarded neonates is probably the main cause of the increased frequency and severity of infections they develop.