Vitamin A Supplementation in Very Low Birth Weight Neonates: Rationale and Evidence Available to Purchase

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most prevalent form of chronic lung disease in infancy. Among the 3.9 million births in the United States in 1997, approximately 55 000 newborn infants weighed <1500 g at birth.¹  Among these very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, 49 000 infants would be expected to be discharged alive at the end of their first hospitalization (Vanderbilt experience 1998). At an estimated incidence of 24% among the VLBW survivors (Vanderbilt experience 1998), 12 000 new cases of BPD would be expected to emerge annually, making BPD the leading cause of chronic lung disease in infancy.

The pathogenesis of BPD involves factors causing injury to an immature lung and factors inhibiting its healing.^2 ,3  The lung injury can result from such insults as hyaline membrane disease, barotrauma or volutrauma from mechanical ventilation, oxygen toxicity, and airway infection associated with prolonged tracheal intubation.⁴  The lung...