Guide To The Causes And Risk Factors Of Periventricular Leukomalacia

Premature Infants

The risk of experiencing periventricular leukomalacia is greatest in premature infants. An unborn child is at the highest risk of this type of brain injury when they are within the gestational ages of twenty-six weeks to thirty-four weeks. Periventricular leukomalacia occurs most often in infants born before the gestational age of thirty-two weeks and those with a birth weight of under 3.3 pounds. A positive correlation between the occurrence of periventricular leukomalacia and premature infants that require mechanical ventilation upon birth has also been made. Premature infants have very fragile white matter in their brains that can be more easily damaged by factors like trauma, infections, and stress. In full-term infants, most of the causes of periventricular leukomalacia can be prevented or mediated if the correct and prompt medical actions are taken. However, prevention and resolution may not always be possible in infants born prematurely because they are underdeveloped, and their tissues are more fragile than those of full-term infants.