Infant Lung Disease

When you think of lung disease, you probably think of lifetime smokers or the elderly. However, even infants can have lung diseases. Most are caused by prematurity and factors after birth, especially any type of infection that travels to the lungs, but some babies are born with lung diseases. Many infants outgrow their lung disease, but all require medical care.

RDS

• Respiratory distress syndrome (or RDS) is most commonly seen among premature babies. The earlier a baby is born, the more likely he is to have RDS. This disease is caused by insufficient lung surfactant, a film-like substance that coats healthy lungs, keeping the lungs' air sacs open.

  Typically, infants with RDS are given artificial lung surfactant to help them breathe. They may also require a ventilator (a machine that breathes for them), a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine that helps the baby breathe, or supplemental oxygen. Physicians work hard to wean infants from the vent, since the machine itself can cause additional lung damage. Babies almost always outgrow RDS.

BPD

• Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (also called BPD or chronic lung disease) is typically caused by the use of ventilators on infant lungs. It may also occur in infants with certain heart conditions, infections or poor nourishment. With this disease, the lungs can collapse and fill with fluid. Most infants with BDP survive, and almost all outgrow the disease by age two. Treatment is usually given in the form of supplemental oxygen.

ILD

• When the walls of the lungs' air sacs are inflamed, the tissue of the sacs thickens and eventually scars, causing interstitial lung disease (ILD). As the lungs become more scarred, it is more difficult for them to take in oxygen. There are many causes of ILD, but among infants, the most common are infection and prematurity and related treatment. In addition, researchers are looking into a possible link between acid reflux (GERD) and ILD. Treatment can be made through prescription drugs, (including anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids) and oxygen.

CLD

• Cystic lung sisease (CDL) can include cysts in the lungs (bronchogenic cysts), non-cancerous masses of lung tissue (cystic adenomatoid malformation), an obstruction in the lung (lobar emphysema), or a mass in the lung or respiratory system tissue (pulmonary sequestration). Frequently, CLD develops in the womb and is discovered through fetal ultrasounds, but other times it develops after birth.

  Treatment can include no treatment at all (but careful monitoring) or surgery.

Conclusion

• In almost every instance of lung disease in infants, the child outgrows the disease. Even so, many of these children continue to have "weak" lungs, with a tendency toward asthma, bronchitis, and phenomena.