respiratory distress syndrome: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowTechnical/Medical
Quick answer
What does “respiratory distress syndrome” mean?
A serious medical condition, typically affecting newborns or adults with lung injury, characterized by severe difficulty breathing and insufficient oxygen in the blood.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A serious medical condition, typically affecting newborns or adults with lung injury, characterized by severe difficulty breathing and insufficient oxygen in the blood.
A clinical syndrome resulting from failure of the respiratory system to adequately oxygenate the blood and remove carbon dioxide, often due to surfactant deficiency in premature infants (neonatal RDS) or direct/indirect lung injury in adults (ARDS).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences; acronyms RDS and ARDS are used interchangeably. Spelling follows regional norms (e.g., 'paediatric' vs. 'pediatric' in surrounding text).
Connotations
Identical clinical connotations in both medical communities.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency outside medical contexts; slightly higher public awareness in the UK due to NHS public health campaigns on premature birth.
Grammar
How to Use “respiratory distress syndrome” in a Sentence
Patient + develops + respiratory distress syndromeRespiratory distress syndrome + is + diagnosed/caused by/treated with + XVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “respiratory distress syndrome” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The premature infant presented with respiratory distress syndrome.
- They suspected he might develop respiratory distress syndrome post-surgery.
American English
- The baby was diagnosed with respiratory distress syndrome.
- The condition rapidly progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome.
adjective
British English
- The respiratory distress syndrome criteria were met.
- They monitored for respiratory distress syndrome complications.
American English
- A respiratory distress syndrome diagnosis was confirmed.
- The respiratory distress syndrome protocol was initiated.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used extensively in medical, nursing, and biomedical research literature.
Everyday
Rarely used outside discussions of personal/family health crises or news reports on medical advances.
Technical
Core term in pulmonology, neonatology, and critical care medicine; precise definitions vary slightly between neonatal and adult forms.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “respiratory distress syndrome”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “respiratory distress syndrome”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “respiratory distress syndrome”
- Misspelling 'respiratory' as 'respirtory' or 'resperatory'; confusing it with less specific terms like 'breathing problems'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, they are distinct. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition causing reversible airway narrowing. RDS/ARDS is typically an acute, severe failure of the lungs to oxygenate the blood, often due to direct injury or prematurity.
Yes, adults can develop Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which is a severe form of lung injury often triggered by sepsis, pneumonia, or trauma, and is distinct from the neonatal form.
The primary cause is a deficiency of pulmonary surfactant, a substance that keeps the tiny air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs from collapsing, which is often underproduced in premature babies.
Yes, treatment is supportive and specific. For neonates, it involves surfactant replacement therapy, oxygen, and ventilator support. For adults (ARDS), treatment focuses on managing the underlying cause and supporting lung function with mechanical ventilation.
A serious medical condition, typically affecting newborns or adults with lung injury, characterized by severe difficulty breathing and insufficient oxygen in the blood.
Respiratory distress syndrome is usually technical/medical in register.
Respiratory distress syndrome: in British English it is pronounced /ˈrɛsp(ə)rət(ə)ri dɪˈstrɛs ˈsɪndrəʊm/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈrɛspərəˌtɔri dɪˈstrɛs ˈsɪndroʊm/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: RESPIRATORY (breathing) DISTRESS (serious trouble) SYNDROME (a set of symptoms) = serious trouble breathing with a set of specific symptoms.
Conceptual Metaphor
LUNGS AS DEFLATED BALLOONS (for neonatal RDS, due to lack of surfactant causing alveoli to collapse).
Practice
Quiz
Which population is most commonly associated with 'neonatal respiratory distress syndrome'?