The respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) or hyaline membrane disease is a very typical complication of premature babies. It is due to the immaturity of the type 2 pneumocytes in the lungs, which have not yet been able to secrete enough surfactant, a product that promotes the unfolding of the alveoli during each breath. The absence of the surfactant causes the lung alveoli to stick together (secondary atelectasis). The required long-term ventilation of a premature baby and oxygenation in the air being breathed in, can lead to the development of a chronic lung disease, the bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and eye damage: retrolental fibroplasia (retinopathy of prematurity). Exogenous administration of synthetic surfactant reduces the severity of RDS and neonatal mortality.
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