hyaline membrane disease

hyaline membrane disease: see infant respiratory distress syndrome.

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respiratory distress syndrome

 or hyaline membrane disease

Common complication in newborns, especially after premature birth. Symptoms include very laboured breathing, bluish skin tinge, and low blood oxygen levels. Insufficient surfactant in the pulmonary alveoli raises surface tension, hampering lung expansion. The alveoli collapse (see atelectasis), and a “glassy” (hyaline) membrane develops in the alveolar ducts. Once the leading cause of death in premature infants, the syndrome is now usually treated for a few days with a mechanical ventilator (see respiratory therapy), with no aftereffects. An adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) can follow lung injury.

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hyaline membrane disease [′hī·ə·lən ′mem‚brān di‚zēz]

(medicine)

A disease occurring during the first few days of neonatal life, characterized by respiratory distress due to formation of a hyalinelike membrane within the alveoli.