Baby Sitting Showing Respiratory System
A baby's first breath is dramatic for all kinds of reasons, including physiological ones. A protein-lipid combination called surfactant plays a critical role in lung development. Researchers have discovered that nutrients such as vitamin D also play important roles in the healthy development of the infant's respiratory system. One of the most obvious ways that we notice the overall immune health of a baby is through the presence or absence of respiratory infections. Respiratory illness is the leading cause of hospitalization among young children. And when it is severe enough to require hospitalization, respiratory illness greatly increases the risk of childhood asthma.