What to know about bronchopulmonary dysplasia?

Bronchopulmonarydysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung condition that affects infants and children.Preterm delivery increases the risk of this lung illness in kids, especially if they are delivered more than 10 weeks early or weigh less than 2 pounds as new-borns.

Prematurely born babies have poorly developed lungs and require therapy that may harm their lungs. Although BPD occurs soon after birth, it is not a congenital disorder.Treatments for breathing difficulties at birth, such as artificial ventilation, instead exacerbate the disease by causing lung damage.

The severity of BPD differs from one infant to the next. Some newborns suffer respiratory problems, developmental delays, or cardiac damage, while others have few or no symptoms, or their symptoms fade away with time.

Causes:

When a baby's underdeveloped lungs necessitate therapies such as mechanical ventilation, BPD occurs. This aggressive therapy may harm the lungs' developing air sacs. Despite the fact that mechanical ventilation is the direct cause of BPD, numerous risk factors increase the likelihood of requiring it. Among the risk factors are:

• Having an infection at birth
• Experiencing respiratory distress
• Genetic abnormalities in the lungs
• Being born prematurely, especially if the baby does not receive steroids before birth
• Not getting adequate nutrition

Symptoms:
Doctors diagnose BPD when a baby's lungs are not developing properly. Babies that are born prematurely with respiratory distress and still have breathing problems at 36 weeks of gestation are likely to have BPD. The severity of the illness, the age at delivery, the therapy given to the infant, and other variables all influence the symptoms. Common indications and symptoms, on the other hand, include:

• Pulmonary hypertension, or high blood pressure in the lungs
• Cardiac problems, such as heart failure
• Trouble feeding
• Slow growth
• Delays in development
• Vision or hearing difficulties are examples of sensory disorders.