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Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD)
Abstract
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NORD is very grateful to Steven H. Abman, MD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Director, Pediatric Heart Lung Center, The Children's Hospital, for assistance in the preparation of this report.
Synonyms of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD)
- BPD
Disorder Subdivisions
- No subdivisions found.
General Discussion
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic respiratory disease that most often occurs in low-weight or premature infants who have received supplemental oxygen or have spent long periods of time on a breathing machine (mechanical ventilation), such as infants who have acute respiratory distress syndrome. BPD can also occur in older infants who experience abnormal lung development or some infants that have had an infection before birth (antenatal infection). Affected infants may have rapid, labored breathing and bluish discoloration of the skin due to low levels of oxygen in the blood (cyanosis). Infants are not born with BPD, the condition results from damage to the lungs. Most infants fully recover from BPD. However, the condition can cause serious complications during infancy and often requires hospitalization and intensive medical care.
The survival of low birth weight infants has improved steadily over the past few decades. Many infants diagnosed with BPD today are born at far earlier gestational ages than in the past. Researchers believe that these cases of BPD are less associated with injury and repair to the lungs and more likely represent an underlying disruption or abnormality affecting the development of the lungs. These infants may require chronic oxygen supplementation even without developing acute respiratory distress syndrome. These cases are sometimes referred to as "new" BPD.
Organizations related to Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD)
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