The condition often worsens for 2 to 4 days after birth with slow improvement thereafter. Some infants with severe respiratory distress syndrome will die, although this is rare on the first day of life. If it occurs, it usually happens between days 2 and 7.

Long-term complications may develop as a result of too much oxygen, high pressures delivered to the lungs, the severity of the condition itself, or periods when the brain or other organs did not receive enough oxygen.

Air or gas may build up in:

• The space surrounding the lungs (pneumothorax)
• The space in the chest between two lungs (pneumomediastinum)
• The area between the heart and the thin sac that surrounds the heart (pneumopericardium)

Other complications may include:

• Bleeding into the brain (intraventricular hemorrhage of the newborn)
• Bleeding into the lung (sometimes associated with surfactant use)
• Blood clots due to an umbilical arterial catheter
• Bronchopulmonary dysplasia
• Delayed mental development and mental retardation associated with brain damage or bleeding
• Retinopathy of prematurity and blindness

This disorder usually develops shortly after birth while the baby is still in the hospital. If you have given birth at home or outside a medical center, seek emergency attention if your baby develops any difficulty breathing.

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Review Date: 05/09/2011
Reviewed By: Kimberly G Lee, MD, MSc, IBCLC, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)