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Updated: May 9, 2026

Development of a Neonatal Piglet Acute Lung Injury Model Recreating the Early Environment of Preterm Infant Lungs
Published on: October 31, 2025
[Premature infants bronchopulmonary dysplasia: past and present]
1Service de pneumologie et d'allergologie pédiatriques, hôpital universitaire Necker-Enfants-Malades, 149-161, rue de Sèvres, 75043 Paris cedex 15, France. alice.hadchouel-duverge@nck.aphp.fr
Insights
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a common chronic lung disease in premature infants. While treatments have advanced, BPD persists, necessitating research into genetic factors for better diagnosis and care.
Area of Science:
- Neonatology
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Genetics
Context:
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most frequent chronic respiratory condition in premature infants.
- First described in 1967, BPD is linked to mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy.
- Current definitions rely on oxygen support at 28 days and 36 weeks post-menstrual age.
Purpose:
- To review the evolving landscape of Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).
- To highlight the complex interplay of genetic susceptibility and environmental factors in BPD.
- To underscore the need for innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Summary:
- Despite advances in neonatal care, BPD affects 10-20% of premature infants, with no effective curative treatments.
- BPD presents significant respiratory and neuro-cognitive morbidities, demanding substantial healthcare resources.
- Pathophysiology involves a complex interaction between genetic predisposition and environmental insults.
Impact:
- Identifying genetic variants offers potential for novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to BPD.
- Current BPD management remains symptomatic, emphasizing the critical need for effective prophylactic or curative interventions.
- Further research into BPD's genetic underpinnings is crucial for improving long-term outcomes in affected infants.
Abstract:
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common chronic respiratory disease in premature infants. BPD was first described by Northway in 1967 as a chronic respiratory condition that developed in premature infants exposed to mechanical ventilation and high oxygen supplementation. DBP is currently defined by the need for supplemental oxygen at 28 days of life (mild BPD) and at the 36 weeks of post-menstrual age (moderate and severe BPD). With the advances of neonatal care, epidemiological characteristics and mechanisms of the disease as well as pathological characteristics and clinical course have profoundly changed within the last two decades, but still no effective curative treatment exists and BPD continue to occur among 10 to 20% of premature infants. Furthermore, BPD is a significant source of respiratory and neuro-cognitive morbidities. Thus, its treatment makes a considerable demand on health services. Regarding its pathophysiological mechanisms, it is now established that BPD is a complex disease combining genetic susceptibility and environmental injuries. The identification of genetic variants involved in BPD is a potential source of innovative development in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Indeed, no curative or effective prophylactic therapeutic exists and BPD treatment is currently symptomatic.
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