Infant Respiratory Distress Syndrome - By: Sarra Marie

Infant respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)- sometimes called hyaline membrane disease- commonly occurs in premature infants.

RDS causes difficulty breathing and can potentially cause pulmonary failure. The severity of infant respiratory distress syndrome depends on how early the infant was born; its size; whether an infection is present; and if the infant has any sort of heart condition.

Infant respiratory distress syndrome usually gets worse soon after birth, but it tends to improve with the proper neonatal care and treatment.

Respiratory distress in infants is seen in more than half of infants born before 28 weeks. The earlier the infant it born, the greater the risk for infant respiratory distress syndrome, and the more severe the condition tends to be.

Aside from being premature, the following can also increase the risk for respiratory distress in infants:

• Cesarean delivery
• Having a previous infant with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)
• Having a Caucasian male
• Infection or stress during labor
• Multiple births
• Gestational diabetes in the mother

The most common cause of infant respiratory distress syndrome is a lack of surfactant. Surfactant is a naturally occurring substance made of phospholipids and proteins, and it lowers the surface tension in the lungs by coating the alveoli, which are tiny air sacs in the lungs.

This helps to keep the lungs functioning properly and prevents pulmonary collapse or failure. When there is not enough surfactant, the lungs may collapse and cease to function. When the lungs and airwarys begin to collapse, the infant experiences respiratory distress and has to work very hard to breathe and get enough oxygen.

By 35 weeks gestation, there is usually enough surfactant already produced for the infant to breathe on his or her own. But premature babies may not have had enough gestational time to produce adequate amounts of surfactant.

This is why infant respiratory distress syndrome is common among premature infants. Infants who cannot breathe on their own due respiratory distress usually are put on a mechanical ventilator or breathing machine until they produce enough natural surfactant.

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