Tiny Babies Grow Up: The Long-Term Effects of Extremely Low Birth Weight

Human fetal regulatory systems are highly sensitive to maternal stress, toxins, nutritional deprivation, maternal infection, and inflammation. The developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) hypothesis posits that fetal adaptation to stressful intrauterine conditions may alter organ development and function, increasing the risk for disease later in life. Adverse intrauterine conditions are reflected in shortened gestation, smaller body …