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Bronchopulmonary dysplasia: pathway from disease to long-term outcome

Journal of Perinatology volume 28, pages 837–840 (2008)Cite this article

The term bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is an overused catchall for all aspects of chronic lung disease in the neonatal population. It refers to a specific underlying histopathology1, 2, 3, 4, 5 as well as the clinical condition of supplemental oxygen need at 36 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). It is believed that this condition identifies a subset of premature infants who will go on to have bad pulmonary outcomes later in life.6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Unfortunately, because it is unfeasible, the relationship between the histopathologic disease and its long-term pulmonary outcome cannot be examined directly;13 hence, a surrogate marker of the histopathologic disease is used, that is, the clinical condition of oxygen use at 36 weeks PMA. There is a good deal of information looking at the relationship between this surrogate marker and long-term pulmonary outcomes. However, the strength of this relationship has been called into question.9, 10, 11, 12, 14 This is important because a frequently stated reason for making the diagnosis of ‘BPD’ is to be able to predict long-term pulmonary outcome.14, 15 The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to examine the appropriateness of the evidence that, some believe, support this relationship.

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  1. Department of Pediatrics, Wilford Hall Medical Center, 2200 Bergquist Dr. Suite 1, Lackland AFB, 78236, TX, USA

    W Lefkowitz

  2. Private Practice (retired),

    S H Rosenberg

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  1. W Lefkowitz
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  2. S H Rosenberg
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Correspondence to W Lefkowitz.

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Lefkowitz, W., Rosenberg, S. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia: pathway from disease to long-term outcome. J Perinatol 28, 837–840 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2008.110

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