Objectives The authors propose the analysis of prevalence, risk factors in a group of preterm infants, as well as unfavourable prognostic factors, both short-term and long-term.

Material and method The study was conducted over a period of 4 years at „Louis Turcanu’ Children’s Hospital Timisoara, Neonatology Department. There were included in the study 146 premature infants who presented suggestive clinical and biological data for disease, they were selected from the global group of 3228.

Results The risk factors most often involved were: premature birth, maternal infection (36%), premature ruptured membranes, unfollowed pregnancy, (34,2%), underage mothers, (12,5%), multiple pregnancies (17,3%). A large group presented a severe pathology associated with the neonatal period: respiratory distress syndrome, congenital pneumonia, pneumothorax, cardiac malformations.

The most common germs were gram negative bacilli (82.46%), Staphylococcus aureus (13.55%), Candida albicans (6.14%), in severe forms of the disease they were associated.

Conclusion Neonatal sepsis is a major cause of infant mortality among preterm infants.

Severe pathology in the neonatal period contribute to a reserved prognosis for this category of newborns

Unfollowed pregnancy and newborns of underage mothers representing 46,7% of the risk factors associated with both extreme prematurity and severe infectious pathology.