Review Article Chorioamnionitis and Lung Injury in PretermNewborns

which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ere is a strong evidence that histologic chorioamnionitis is associated with a reduction of incidence and severity of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Short-term maturational effects on the lungs of extremely premature infants seem to be, however, accompanied by a greater susceptibility of the lung, eventually contributing to an increased risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Genetic susceptibility to BPD is an evolving area of research and several studies have directly related the risk of BPD to genomic variants. ere is a substantial heterogeneity across the studies in the magnitude of the association between chorioamnionitis and BPD, and whether or not the association is statistically signi�cant. Considerable variation is largely dependent on differences of inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as on clinical and histopathological de�nitions. e presence of signi�cant publication bias may exaggerate the magnitude of the association. Controlling for publication bias may conduct to adjusted results that are no longer signi�cant. Recent studies generally seem to con�rm the effect of chorioamnionitis on RDS incidence, while no effect on BPD is seen. Recent data suggest susceptibility for subsequent asthma to be increased on long-term followup. Additional research on this �eld is needed. 1