Chronic lung disease after premature birth

Chronic lung disease can no longer be considered only a pediatric disease. For some infants born prematurely, especially those with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, substantial obstructive lung disease persists into adolescence and young adulthood. This pulmonary derangement remains latent in most people, but a reduced respiratory reserve could increase the risk of a COPD-like phenotype later in life. Advances in neonatal care have increased survival after preterm birth. Because many of these survivors are now approaching adulthood, family doctors and chest physicians will be seeing more cases of this novel chronic pulmonary disease, which begins in neonatal life. The pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia is still elusive, and its treatment is empirical. Tools should be developed for phenotype-specific diagnosis and management of chronic lung disease. Long-term surveillance studies will be needed if we are to better understand the natural history of chronic lung disease after premature birth