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Respiratory distress syndrome
(RDS), also called hyaline membrane disease, is the most common
respiratory disorder of premature infants and affects, with
different degrees of severity, many babies born before 28
weeks gestation. Babies with RDS experience difficulty in
breathing due to the immaturity of the lung development and
to insufficient production of surfactant.
Surfactant is a lubricating
liquid lining the lungs, made of lipids (fats) and proteins
that work together to enable the lungs to expand easily. If
there is a lack of surfactant the baby will have difficulty
breathing and therefore sufficient oxygen may not circulate
properly in the body.
The resulting clinical signs
and symptoms of RDS are:
- Blue-coloured skin caused by hypoxia
(inadequate oxygen supply to the body tissues)
- Rapid breathing
- Difficulty in breathing
- Grunting noise when breathing
out
- Nasal flaring (nostrils seem to
widen)
- Straining of chest and neck muscles
by the effort of breathing
Predisposing factors
for RDS
In addition to gestational age, the major
predisposing factors are:
- Gender: boys more than girls
- Race: Caucasian
- Caesarean delivery
- Asphyxia
- Maternal diabetes
- Multiple birth
- Hypothermia
- Infection.
Treatment
RDS is treated by general supportive therapy,
such as:
A number of factors can
reduce the incidence of RDS in particular many mothers who
go into early labour are given corticosteroids, that increase
the baby's surfactant levels by stimulating production.
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