Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung condition that affects newborn babies who were either put on a breathing machine after birth or were born very early (prematurely).
Babies who have had BPD are at greater risk of repeated respiratory infections, such as pneumonia,bronchiolitis, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that require a hospital stay.
Other possible complications in babies who have had BPD are:
- Developmental problems
- Poor growth
- Pulmonary hypertension
We met with a pulmonologist last week at BAMC. He was the first doctor who suggested that Seth's issues as a preemie in the NICU (one of them being Bronchopulmonary dysplasia) as being the reason for his Pulmonary Hypertension. Other doctors said it could be, but weren't sure or were wondering why it would manifest itself so late if it was. So I just assumed this was just another thing to deal with with Seth. But after talking to the pulmonologist, everything clicked! Now, this is not 100%, we are still looking at things, but why would the doctor who did the heart cath say his lungs looked abnormal? Because we didn't know any better, we didn't know what questions to ask. And I don't remember ever discussing anything else about it. The pulmonologist did a chest X-ray and did confirm that the lungs looked abnormal. We go back to see him again on Monday. He wanted to read over Seth's medical history and talk with us again. We just briefly met him during our cardiology appointment. As far as treatment goes, not much changes, but knowing why Seth has pulmonary hypertension for some reason makes me feel so much at peace. He has been really blessed. He has never suffered from any respiratory illnesses that have put him on the hospital. All of Seth's other issues (poor growth, slow learning) could be related to BPD as well, who knows. Right now we are looking to add an inhaled medication to Seth's medicine regime. I am not against IV treatment. I believe we will know the answer to all things as the time approaches. It just feels good to have some answers. I have been reading medical journal articles that make my mind spin and I have to look up a lot of words to make sense of the meaning of things. I will not be an expert, but I want to know what and why the body behaves as it does.
