respiratory distress syndrome

[ res-per-uh-tawr-ee di-stres sin-drohm, -druhm ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. Also called hyaline membrane disease. an acute lung disease of the newborn, occurring primarily in premature babies and babies born to ill mothers, characterized by rapid breathing, flaring of the nostrils, inelastic lungs, edema of the extremities, and in some cases the formation of a hyaline membrane on the lungs caused by a lack of surfactant in the immature lung tissue. : RDS
2. acute respiratory distress syndrome ( def ). : RDS

Word History and Origins

Origin of respiratory distress syndrome¹

First recorded in 1965–70