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Bronchopulmonary dysplasia

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Bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Definition:

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disorder that may affect infants exposed to high levels of oxygen therapy or who have been on a ventilator for extended periods of time. It is more common among premature infants whose lungs have not fully developed at the time of birth.

Alternative Names:
BPD

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Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) occurs in severely ill infants who have received high concentrations of oxygen for long periods of time and prolonged support on respiratory ventilators during treatment for respiratory distress syndrome of the newborn.

The lung injury that produces BPD may be caused by a combination of factors, including increased pressure in the lungs from mechanical ventilators, or from the oxygen toxicity that occurs when the lung is exposed to very high concentrations of oxygen for prolonged periods.

Risk factors include prematurity, respiratory infection, congenital heart disease, or other severe illness in the newborn requiring therapy with oxygen or ventilators. The risk of severe BPD has declined in recent years.

References:

Murray J, Nadel J. Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2000. 

Smith VC. Trends in severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia rates between 1994 and 2002. J Pediatr. 2005; 146(4): 469-73.

Cogo PE. Surfactant kinetics in preterm infants on mechanical ventilation who did and did not develop bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Crit Care Med. 2003; 31(5): 1532-8.

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