Korean J Perinatol.  2014 Mar;25(1):1-8. 10.14734/kjp.2014.25.1.1.

Pathophysiology and Risk Factors of Pulmonary Hypertension in Infants with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

• Kim DH

• KMID: 1917226
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14734/kjp.2014.25.1.1

Abstract

Early injury to the lung circulation leads to the rapid development of pulmonary hypertension (PH) after premature birth. PH in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) results from increased vascular tone and abnormal vasoreactivity, hypertensive remodeling, and decreased vascular growth. The development of PH is sometimes a serious complication of BPD that can significantly impact the morbidity and mortality rates of preterm infants. Despite a gradual reduction in pulmonary arterial pressure postnatally, approximately a quarter of BPD infants have echocardiographic evidence of PH later. The pathogenesis of PH in BPD is very complex and multifactorial, often resulting from interactions between genetic and environmental or acquired factors (both prenatal and postnatal). Antenatal risk factors such as intrauterine growth retardation, maternal preeclampsia, and oligohydramnios suggest compelling evidence for the fetal origins of PH. Despite the potential importance of PH in preterm infants, the pathophysiology and the risk factors of PH in infants with BPD are still poorly understood. I have reviewed recent progress in research concerning the pathophysiology including the risk factors of PH in infants with BPD.

Keyword

Pulmonary hypertension; Bronchopulmonary dysplasia; Pathophysiology; Risk factor

MeSH Terms

Arterial Pressure
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia*
Echocardiography
Female
Fetal Growth Retardation
Humans
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Hypertension, Pulmonary*
Infant*
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature
Lung
Mortality
Oligohydramnios
Pre-Eclampsia
Pregnancy
Premature Birth
Risk Factors*

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1. Components contributing to pulmonary hypertension in bronchopulmonary dysplasia. RV, right ventricle; LV, left ventricle. Adopted from Mourani PM, Abman SH. Pulmonary vascular disease in bronchopulmonary dysplasia: pulmonary hypertension and beyond. Curr Opin Pediatr 2013;25:329-37.

• 

  Fig. 2. The distribution of birth weight (BW) percentiles according to PHTN status. Bar graphs of 5 BW subgroups demonstrates that greater than one-half of infants with pulmonary hypertension had birth weights <25th percentile. PHTN, pulmonary hypertension. Adopted from Check J, Gotteiner N, Liu X, Su E, Porta N, Steinhorn R, et al. Fetal growth restriction and pulmonary hypertension in premature infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. J Perinatol 2013;33:553-7.

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