The primary cause of Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) is an inadequate pulmonary surfactant. This article represents two cases of RDS in twins in which one of the babies developed severe RDS requiring ventilatory care and surfactant administration, while the other baby did not.
Introduction
The primary cause of respiratory distress syndrome, formerly known as hyaline membrane disease, is an inadequate pulmonary surfactant. Preterm birth is the most common etiological factor. RDS remains an important contributing cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity, especially among the most immature infants.
Factors that affect the state of lung development at birth include prematurity, maternal diabetes, and genetic factors ( race, history of RDS in siblings, male sex). However, there are few studies indicating that RDS is more common in second twins. The cause of this difference is however not known.
The cases
We reported two cases of twins in which the presentation of RDS was quite different.
