New opportunities for prevention of osteopenia in preterm infants

Abstract

Bone mineralization is significantly smaller in preterm infants than in full-term infants. This poses a risk of a frequent complication — preterm infant osteopenia. Despite improvements in approaches to nutritional support and standard care, osteopenia is still a problem affecting at least 20% of preterm infants discharged from hospitals. The article presents a systematic review of the modern evidences related to the impact of early physical activity and massage on the prevention and treatment of osteopenia in this group of patients.