» How do you think these factors affect the ability of an infant to regulate its body temperature?

How do you think these factors affect the ability of an infant to regulate its body temperature?

a premature infant typically lacks subcutaneous adipose tissue. Also, the surface area of an infant’s small body is relatively large compared to its volume.

It seems like the baby doesn’t have the means to generate energy. The lack of adipose tissue is a huge disadvantage. Its main role is to store energy as fat, act as cushion and insulation. most animals do not depend on body weight but on the amt of body fat. With all of this surface area being subjected to environments its not ready for, survival looks bleak. The stored fat would be crucial for thermal regulation.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 24th, 2010 at 8:35 pm and is filed under premature infant. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “How do you think these factors affect the ability of an infant to regulate its body temperature?”

B.A.R. Says:
January 25th, 2010 at 2:21 am
It seems like the baby doesn’t have the means to generate energy. The lack of adipose tissue is a huge disadvantage. Its main role is to store energy as fat, act as cushion and insulation. most animals do not depend on body weight but on the amt of body fat. With all of this surface area being subjected to environments its not ready for, survival looks bleak. The stored fat would be crucial for thermal regulation.
References :
wikipedia

ESNPC

How do you think these factors affect the ability of an infant to regulate its body temperature?

One Response to “How do you think these factors affect the ability of an infant to regulate its body temperature?”

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