Sometimes, babies who are born early (premature) or with a heart problem or other condition have damaged lungs and have trouble breathing. This is called chronic lung disease, or bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Parts of the lungs can trap air, fill with fluid, and make extra mucus.
You may be scared and worried about your baby having a serious health problem. But most babies who have chronic lung disease survive, and many outgrow most of their lung problems. Your baby is likely to need medicines and extra feedings to help the lungs heal. You can do much of the care that your child needs at home.
Chronic lung disease, or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), is a condition that causes breathing problems in newborns. It is most common in babies who are premature. It causes symptoms such as wheezing, grunting, and fast breathing. Treatment helps the baby breathe more easily while the lungs mature and heal on their own.
A baby with chronic lung disease may have symptoms as soon as 3 days after birth. The most common first symptom is trouble breathing. Your newborn may:
Treatment will help your baby breathe more easily. This reduces the stress on the baby's body while the lungs mature and heal on their own.
Babies with chronic lung disease are usually treated in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which is geared to the needs of premature or ill newborns. Your baby may need one or more of the following treatments, depending on how severe the disease is:
Babies who have chronic lung disease may also have other problems that need treatment, such as:
Babies who have chronic lung disease may need to stay in the hospital from several weeks to several months.
There is no single test to diagnose chronic lung disease. A doctor may first suspect it if your baby has trouble breathing. The diagnosis is confirmed if your baby needs extra oxygen for at least 28 days after birth. Based on your baby's gestational age and how much longer your baby needs extra oxygen, your doctor will know how severe the disease is. Gestational age is the number of weeks since the start of pregnancy.
A doctor may order tests to rule out other causes of breathing trouble or to check for other problems caused by chronic lung disease. For example, your baby might have:
Chronic lung disease in an infant means that damaged tissue in the newborn's lungs is causing breathing and health problems. The lungs trap air or collapse, fill with fluid, and produce extra mucus.
Most babies who have chronic lung disease survive. But symptoms may come back and need treatment into early childhood. In time, many children outgrow most of their lung problems.
Chronic lung disease is also known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or BPD.
Chronic lung disease is caused by problems in a baby's lungs. It is most common in premature babies who are born before 26 weeks of gestational ageand weigh less than 1 kg (2.2 lb) .A premature baby's lungs may not be fully developed. This makes the baby likely to have problems that can lead to chronic lung disease such as:
Other problems that can lead to chronic lung disease include:
Call 911 anytime you think your child may need emergency care. For example, call if:
Call your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if:
Watch closely for changes in your child's health, and be sure to contact your doctor if:
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