[Clinical features of respiratory distress syndrome in neonates of different gestational ages].

OBJECTIVE: To study clinical features of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in neonates of different gestational ages (GA).

METHODS: According to GA, 133 neonates with RDS were classified into GA <34 weeks group (n=66), GA 34-36 weeks group (late preterm neonates; n=31), and GA ≥37 weeks group (full-term neonates; n=36). The mothers' medical history during pregnancy and the condition of the neonates at birth were retrospectively analyzed, and the clinical data were compared between groups.

RESULTS: Prenatal corticosteroids supplementation in the GA <34 weeks group was more common than that in the GA 34-36 weeks group (P<0.05). Compared with the GA ≥37 weeks group and the GA 34-36 weeks group, the GA <34 weeks group showed a significantly lower rate of primary diseases, a significantly later time of the development of dyspnea (P<0.05), and a higher rate of intraventricular hemorrhage (P<0.05). Serum albumin levels in the GA <34 weeks group were significantly lower than in the GA ≥37 weeks group (P<0.05). The GA ≥37 weeks group and the GA 34-36 weeks group showed a significantly higher reuse rate of pulmonary surfactant (P<0.05). Use of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation was more common in the GA ≥37 weeks group compared with the GA <34 weeks group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The clinical features of RDS are different across neonates of different GA, suggesting that the pathogenesis of RDS may be different in neonates of different GA.