respiratory distress syndrome
Americannoun
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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
Etymology
Origin of respiratory distress syndrome
First recorded in 1965–70
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Among the children who died from flu last season, the most common complications experienced before death were shock or sepsis, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, seizures and damage to the brain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
A few days later the teenager was admitted to intensive care after developing acute respiratory distress syndrome.
From Salon ● Jan. 6, 2025
Other diseases that can cause CRS include sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome, COVID-19 infection, and ischemia.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 17, 2024
Without treatment, malaria can also lead to seizures, anemia, kidney damage, acute respiratory distress syndrome and even death.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 6, 2023
Ismail died from acute respiratory distress syndrome in the early hours of 30 March 2020.
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
