A major breakthrough in the treatment of premature babies with chronic lung disease could save them from life-long health problems, Australian scientists say.

There are up to 60 per cent of pre-term babies develop bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).  This causes damage to lung tissue and prevents normal lung growth, this is due to being exposed to life-saving respiratory support.  This disease could leave babies with a lifetime of health concerns.  

However, the researchers at Hudson Institute of Medical Research said two types of anti-inflammatory drugs already used on children could stop the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in pre-term babies and the next step would be to start introducing clinical trials.  

“The treatment we are working on and we want to develop would actually give hope to those babies affected and those babies that are born pre-term and have a rough start to life, so we would be able to give them a brighter future.”

See the full published article here

 

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