ABSTRACT
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considered to play a major role in the pathogenesis ofa wide range of human disorders. This may be a particularly important pathogeneticmechanism in the newborn nursery. The phrase “oxygen radical disease of prematurity” has been coined to collectively describe a wide range of neonatal disorders based on the belief that premature newborns are deficient in antioxidant defenses at a time when they are subjected to acute and chronic oxidant stresses.1
