Which one of the following is true of hyaline membrane disease of the newborn –
Prematurity provides relative protection of the occurrence
Maternal steroid exposure increase severity of the disease
Phosphatidyl glycerol estimation is a reliable method of diagnosis
Surfactant increases the surface tension of a iveoli
In HMD surfactant is reduced and its measurement can be used for diagnosis e.g. in shake test.
Constituent of surfactant are - dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (lecithin), phosphatidylglycerol, apoproteins (surfactant proteins SPA, SPB, SPC, SPD) and cholesterol.