Apnea of prematurity

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Apnea of prematurity

ORPHA:99981Disease

What it is

A developmental disorder affecting premature infants, likely secondary to an immaturity of respiratory control resulting in idiopathic pauses in breathing often associated with reduced heart rate and arterial blood oxygen levels. It may be exacerbated by concurrent neonatal diseases.

Key facts

Prevalence
1-9 / 100 000 (Europe)
Age of onset
Infancy, Neonatal
Inheritance
Not applicable
Classified as
Disease

Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.

Signs and symptoms

Very common80–99%

1

These ranges are how often a sign appears across everyone diagnosed, not a prediction for one person — most people have some of these and not others. Orphanet also records findings that are specifically absent in this disease; those are in the data but not listed here.

ICD-10 codes

P28.4filed under a broader ICD-10 category — shared with 1 other rare disease

ICD-10 has no distinct code for most rare diseases, so many are filed under the nearest available one. A shared code identifies the group, not this disease — the ORPHAcode above is what identifies it.

Related health topics

Reached through the ICD-10 categories this disease is filed under, so these describe the broader group rather than this disease specifically.

Cross-references

MONDO 0020567UMLS C0475715

Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.

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