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Infant respiratory distress syndrome is a syndrome caused by lack of surfactant in the lungs of premature infants. This surfactant is chemically di-palmitoul-lecithin. This lack of surfactant leads to the collapse of lung alveoli. It is usually seen in premature infants less than 28 weeks of gestation. The lecithin-sphingomyelin ratio is used as a test for lung maturity. The availability of synthetic surfactant since the late 1980s revolutionised its treatment. However, premature infants often still require mechanical ventilation until their lungs mature. The mortality rate lies around 30%. Another management option is corticosteroid therapy for the mother.
Surfactant is produced by the type II pneumocytes, which also help generate type I pneumocytes. They are characterized by the presence of lamellar bodies, seen with an electron microscope
A similar syndrome in adults is the adult respiratory distress syndrome.
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