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Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Symptoms

Premature infants and other babies who experience respiratory difficulties soon after birth are at risk for a condition called bronchopulmonary dysplasia, sometimes called chronic lung disease. In bronchopulmonary dysplasia, inflammation and scarring during the first weeks after birth causes abnormal development of lung tissue.

  1. Respiratory Distress Syndrome

    • Most babies who develop bronchopulmonary dysplasia are born with respiratory distress syndrome. Symptoms include rapid and shallow breathing, labored breathing, grunting during exhalation and coughing.

    Bodily Signs

    • Bodily signs of this labored breathing are sharp pulling in of the area below the ribs when inhaling and craning the neck to pull more air into the lungs.

    Diagnosis

    • Physicians usually diagnose bronchopulmonary dysplasia if the baby still needs additional oxygen after 14 to 28 days of age. X-rays may show lungs that look spongy.

    Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

    • Babies with bronchopulmonary dysplasia may develop high blood pressure in the vessels carrying blood from the heart to the lungs, called pulmonary arterial hypertension.

    Heart Failure

    • Bronchopulmonary dysplasia also may appear concurrently with failure of the right side of the heart caused by the pulmonary arterial hypertension.

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