Disorders of the Brain and
Nervous System
Occasionally, neurological or brain disorders may occur in newborn
babies. Premature babies (born before 37 weeks gestation) are especially
at risk. Neurological complications may result from birth trauma, a
difficult delivery, or from perinatal depression (when the baby takes in
too little oxygen during the birth process).
The most common types of neurological problems in newborn babies
include the following:
- intraventricular hemorrhage - bleeding inside or around the
ventricles, the spaces in the brain containing the cerebrospinal fluid.
This is more common in premature babies.
- periventricular leukomalacia - damage and softening of the
white matter, the inner part of the brain that transmits information
between the nerve cells and the spinal cord. This is also more common in
premature babies.
Neurological disorders may be serious. Severe bleeding or tissue damage
in the brain can destroy brain cells and cause long-term illness for the
baby.
Listed in the directory below is some additional information regarding
disorders of the brain and nervous system, for which we have provided a
brief overview.
If you cannot find the information in which you are interested, please
visit the High-Risk Newborn Online Resources page
in this Web site for an Internet/World Wide Web address that may contain
additional information on that topic.
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