Question
My baby was born 6 weeks earlier than expected and was diagnosed with edema. What are the causes of neonatal edema?
Answer
One of the primary causes of neonatal edema is severe infection, which typically occurs during the cold season. Newborns do not raise their body temperature in response to infection, and they have a relatively large surface area with abundant blood vessels. Their unique brown subcutaneous fat is also less abundant. If the external environment is cold, it can lead to excessive heat loss in the baby, causing the subcutaneous fat to solidify and harden, and peripheral capillaries to dilate and leak, forming edema.