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Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung condition that affects newborn babies who were either put on a breathing machine after birth or were born very early (prematurely).

BPD; Chronic lung disease - children; CLD - children

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) occurs in severely ill infants who have received high levels of oxygen for long periods of time or who have been on a breathing machine ( ventilator).

It is more common in infants born early (prematurely), whose lungs were not fully developed at birth.

Risk factors include:

• Congenital heart disease
• Prematurity, usually in infants born before 32 weeks of gestation
• Severe respiratory or lung infection
• Other severe illness in the newborn that needs to be treated with oxygen or a ventilator

The risk of severe BPD has decreased in recent years.

• Bluish skin color
• Chronic cough
• Rapid breathing
• Shortness of breath

• Arterial blood gas
• Chest CT scan
• Chest x-ray
• Pulse oximetry

Babies with bronchopulmonary dysplasia get better slowly over time. It's possible for infants to need oxygen therapy for many months. Some infants with this condition might not survive. Some children are left with chronic lung damage.

Babies who have had BPD are at a greater risk for having recurrent respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that require a hospital stay. Many of the airway (bronchiole) changes in babies with bronchopulmonary dysplasia will not go away.

Other potential complications in babies who have had BPD are pulmonary hypertension, poor growth, and developmental problems.

If your baby had BPD, watch for any breathing problems. Call your health care provider if you see any signs of a respiratory infection.

To help prevent BPD:

Prevent premature delivery whenever possible.

Take the baby off the breathing assistance early, if possible, and use a substance that helps open the baby's lungs (surfactant).

Bancalari, EH. Dysplasia and Neontal Chronic Lung Disease. In: Fanaroff AA, Martin RJ, eds. Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine: Diseases of the Fetus and Infant. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2006: part 7.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Evidence based clinical practice guideline for medical management of bronchiolitis in infants less than 1 year of age presenting with a first time episode. Cincinnati (Ohio) Children's Hospital Medical Center; 2006, May: 13.

Meissner HC, Long SS. American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases and Committee on Fetus and Newborn. Revised indications for the use of palivizumab and respiratory syncytial virus immune globulin intravenous for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus infections. Pediatrics. 2003;112:1447-52.