Treatment, which is conducted to increase the chances of fighting infection in preterm infants, is actually useless, British researchers reported.

Infants born before the term are injected with a protein that should stimulate the growth of leukocytes and strengthen the immune system. Scientists conducted a study in which 280 infants born at 31 weeks or earlier. It turned out that the treatment did not prevent the infection of blood - the main cause of death of newborns. The study was published in the medical journal Lancet.

Preterm infants are in a high risk group for infection, which can cause delays in development and neurological problems, experts say.. And also lead to death. The most common problem in children born prematurely and having insufficient weight is the low level of leukocytes in the blood, which leads subsequently to a high risk of infections.

Physicians are increasingly using protein for premature babies, a stimulating factor (GM-CSF), in the hope of increasing the level of leukocytes and preventing infections. However, GM-CSF was effective in stimulating the immune system in cancer patients after a course of chemotherapy, but in newborns, specialists found no significant difference from conventional treatment. Experts believe that it is necessary to revise the methods of treatment of premature babies, so as not to introduce them useless medicines.

Medicinform. Net.