Risk factors for the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia: the role of antenatal infection and inflammation.
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia, chronic oxygen dependency, is a common adverse outcome of very premature birth. It has important implications for health resource utilization, since affected children require frequent readmissions to hospital in the first 2 years after birth and, even as adolescents, have lung function abnormalities and troublesome respiratory symptoms. The current population of very prematurely born infants may develop chronic oxygen dependency in the absence of severe, acute respiratory distress, so-called 'new' bronchopulmonary dysplasia. This appears to be the result of impaired antenatal lung growth; antenatal infection and inflammation make the premature infant's lungs more vulnerable to injury.
Lall
Abhimanu
A
King's College Hospital, Department of Child Health, London, UK. abhimanu.lall@kch.nhs.uk
Prendergast
Michael
M
Greenough
Anne
A