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Key Points
- Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a
breathing problem that sometimes affects babies born about 6 weeks or more
before their due dates.
- Most infants who develop RDS show signs of
breathing problems at birth or within the next few hours. If they're not given
the right treatment, their brains and other organs may suffer from the lack of
oxygen.
- RDS affects about 10 of every 100 premature
infants in the United States, or about 40,000 babies, each year. Nearly all
babies born before 28 weeks of pregnancy develop RDS. Full-term infants rarely
get it.
- A lack of surfactant in a premature baby's lungs
causes RDS. Surfactant is a liquid that coats the insides of a fetus' lungs and
keeps them open so they can breathe in air after birth.
- Factors that can increase the chances your baby
will develop RDS include if you have
diabetes mellitus,
cesarean delivery, stress during delivery, and infection. Some
infants born at term develop RDS because they have abnormal genes for
surfactant.
- Signs and symptoms of RDS at birth include rapid,
shallow breathing; sharp pulling in of the chest below the ribs with each
breath taken in; grunting sounds during exhalation; and flaring of the nostrils
during breathing.
- Doctors usually begin treating RDS as soon as the
baby is born. At the same time, they do several tests to rule out any other
conditions that could be causing the baby's breathing problems. These include
blood tests,
chest x ray, and
echocardiogram.
- The most important treatments for RDS are
surfactant replacement therapy and breathing support. Other treatments include
medicines, supportive therapy, and treatment for
patent
ductus arteriosus, a condition that affects some premature infants.
- Most infants who show signs of RDS are moved to a
special intensive care unit in the hospital called a neonatal intensive care
unit (NICU). There they receive around-the-clock treatment from a group of
health care professionals who specialize in treating premature infants.
- Your baby also may need special care after
leaving the NICU, including special hearing and eye exams, speech or physical
therapy, and specialty care for other medical problems caused by premature
birth.
- Thanks to recent medical advances, most babies
with RDS who weigh more than 2 pounds at birth now survive and have no
long-term health or development problems.
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Living With
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