Nutrition in neonatal chronic lung disease

The inter-relationship between nutrition and chronic neonatal lung disease (neonatal CLD) is complex. The most important factor in the aetiology of neonatal CLD is of course low gestational age but intra-uterine growth retardation is also a contributory factor. Both of these factors may act partly through specific nutritional deficiencies. In particular, deficiencies of nutrients which contribute to the anti-oxidant defences, have been implicated in the aetiology of neonatal CLD.