5.4. Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD)
Although the pathophysiology of preeclampsia is poorly defined, evidence suggests that abnormal placentation, characterized by shallow invasion of the maternal arteries, compromises uterine blood flow at the expense of the growing placenta and fetus [79]. The resulting hypoxia and ischemia may restrict fetal angiogenesis [80]. Considering the growing evidence suggesting that preservation of in utero vascular growth is critical in maintenance of alveolarization (“vascular hypothesis of BPD”), it is possible that preeclampsia may alter critical lung-vessel interactions necessary for normal lung development [81, 82]. A recent study shows that maternal preeclampsia is, in fact, associated with an increased risk for development of BPD, even after adjusting for gestational age, birth weight, and other clinical confounders (OR 2.96, 95% CI 1.17-7.51,