Prevalence and Etiology of Respiratory Distress in Newborns

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence and etiology of respiratory distress in the newborns delivered over the period of one year from 1st January 2008 to 31st Dec 2008. Study Design: A descriptive study Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Armed Forces Hospital Sharurah Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over a period of one year from January 2008 to Dec 2008 Patients and methods: All live newborns delivered at Armed Forces Hospital Sharurah during the study period were included and observed for development of respiratory distress. Results: All newborns (n=659), delivered at this hospital over the period of 12 months, were observed for respiratory distress. The overall prevalence of respiratory distress (RD) was 4.24%. Prevalence was 19.7% in preterm and 2.3% in full term. Transient tachypnea of newborn(TTN) was found to be the commonest 35.7% cause of Respiratory Distress (RD) followed by Hyaline membrane disease (HMD) 25%, meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) 17.9%, congenital pneumonia 7.1% and other congenital anomalies 14.3%. TTN was found to be common among both term and preterm babies, while hyaline membrane disease was seen among preterm, and me conium aspiration syndrome among term and post term babies. Conclusion: Respiratory distress is a common neonatal problem with significant morbidity and mortality. Majority of cases are due to TTN followed by hyaline membrane disease and meconium aspiration syndrome.