A respiratory disorder in preterm infants due to an immature surfactant system. The deficiency in surfactant results in a collapse of he gas-exchange units of the lungs and an increase of lung compliance. There are two sorts of RD
Idiopathic respiratory distress (IRDS) or hyaline membrane disease when the lungs become lined with a glassy-like substance, and bronchial pulmonary dysplasia consisting of abnormal tissues in the bronchi of the lungs. In preterm infants, the former is one of the main causes of death during the first 48 hours after birth, and was only discovered in 1957. RSD can lead to chronic lung disease and be implicated in retinopathy of prematurity See Broncopulmonary dysplasia, Preterm infant, Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), Respiratory acidosis, Surfactant