Bronchopulmonary dysplasia: early diagnosis, prophylaxis, and treatment
Article Abstract:
A series of articles concerning bronchopulmonary dysplasia (chronic lung disease of prematurity) is presented in the October 1990 issue of Archives of Disease in Childhood, Fetal and Neonatal edition. This condition develops in between 4 and 40 percent of infants, depending on the degree of prematurity, who have been ill enough to require ventilatory support (machine-assisted breathing). After recovery, patients often suffer recurrent respiratory problems. The diagnosis, prevention, and management of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia are presented and evaluated. Early diagnosis is preferable and is usually performed with the aid of a chest X-ray. Samples of material from the trachea (airway) may also be analyzed for the presence of pathological cells, but may be difficult to interpret; in addition, they can only be obtained from patients who have tracheal tubes. Direct measurement of lung function in very preterm infants is still in the preliminary stages. Unfortunately, the goal of early diagnosis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia is not often reached. Preventive measures include administration of vitamins E, A, and surfactant (the substance that lowers the lungs' surface tension, allowing breathing), and the provision of respiratory support. Each of these is evaluated. Since some types of respiratory support are implicated in causing the disease, infants should be removed from support as soon as possible. Drug therapy with agents such as steroids, theophylline, bronchodilating agents (which enlarge the airways) or diuretics (which increase the excretion of sodium and water) may be instituted, and antibiotic treatment may also be necessary. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Archives of Disease in Childhood
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-9888
Year: 1990
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Bronchopulmonary dysplasia: then and now
Article Abstract:
A series of articles concerning bronchopulmonary dysplasia is presented in the October 1990 issue of Archives of Disease in Childhood, Fetal and Neonatal edition. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is a condition that appears in infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS; severe breathing impairment) of the newborn after that disease has been present for one to three days. Prior to the identification of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, infants with RDS either survived the first three days and recovered, or died, usually within four days. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia was new in the sense that it represented a chronic lung disease that followed RDS. Various aspects of this disease are discussed, including its progression, pathogenesis, pathology, incidence, signs on X-ray, diagnosis, outcome, and treatment. Children who have had bronchopulmonary dysplasia in infancy often continue to have recurrent lung infections, appearing similar to asthma patients in many ways. At the present time, the condition presents a challenge to neonatologists; its incidence is increasing, particularly among premature infants who weigh less than 1,000 grams (very-low-birth-weight infants). (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Archives of Disease in Childhood
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-9888
Year: 1990
User Contributions:
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