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Washington Office
 Read about events on Capitol Hill, funding for rare-disease research, and other topics of interest from NORD's office in Washington, DC.
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"Resources" on this report.
Copyright 1991, 1998, 2009
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)
Disorder Subdivisions
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)
- American Lung Association
1301 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington DC 20004
Phone #: 202-785-3355
800 #: 800-586-4872
e-mail: info@lungusa.org
Home page: http://www.lungusa.org
- British Lung Foundation
73-75 Goswell Road
London Intl EC1V 7ER
Phone #: 020- 76-88 5555
800 #: 084-58 -50 50 20
e-mail: info@britishlungfoundation.com
Home page: http://www.lunguk.org
- Genetic and Rare Diseases (GARD) Information Center
PO Box 8126
Gaithersburg MD 20898-8126
Phone #: 301-251-4925
800 #: 888-205-2311
e-mail: http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/GARD/EmailForm.aspx
Home page: http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/GARD
- MUMS National Parent-to-Parent Network
150 Custer Court
Green Bay WI 54301-1243
Phone #: 920-336-5333
800 #: 877-336-5333
e-mail: mums@netnet.net
Home page: http://www.netnet.net/mums/
- March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
1275 Mamaroneck Avenue
White Plains NY 10605
Phone #: 914-997-4488
800 #: 888-663-4637
e-mail: Askus@marchofdimes.com
Home page: http://www.marchofdimes.com
- NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Information Center
P.O. Box 30105
Bethesda MD 20824-0105
Phone #: 301-592-8573
800 #: --
e-mail: nhlbiinfo@rover.nhlbi.nih.gov
Home page: N/A
- NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
31 Center Dr
Building 31, Room 2A32
MSC2425
Bethesda MD 20892
Phone #: 301-496-5133
800 #: --
e-mail: N/A
Home page: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/
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