Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is best described as which condition?

• A. A form of acute pneumonia in term infants
• B. A chronic lung disease seen in infants with severe RDS following prolonged ventilation and oxygen therapy
• C. A transient airway obstruction in newborns
• D. Adult-onset COPD in former preemies

Answer: (B)

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is a chronic lung disease of infancy that develops in very preterm infants who have severe respiratory distress syndrome and require prolonged ventilation and high-dose oxygen therapy. The prolonged exposure to oxygen and mechanical ventilation, in the setting of immature lungs, leads to inflammation and injury that disrupts normal alveolar development and causes fibrosis. This results in ongoing respiratory symptoms and dependence on supplemental oxygen beyond the neonatal period. It is not an acute pneumonia, not a transient airway obstruction, and not adult-onset COPD in former preemies, which are why the description focusing on a chronic lung condition arising after severe RDS with extended ventilation best fits BPD.