To identify proportion and etiology of respiratory distress (RD), its mortalities andassociated risk factors among neonates admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) ofAssiut University Children Hospital.

Methods

A cross-sectional study design was carriedout. All RD neonates admitted to NICU of Assiut University Children Hospital during thestudy period were included.

Results

Respiratory distress neonates constituted 52.9% of totaladmission. Hyaline membrane disease represented 45.8% of RD cases. The majority ofhyaline membrane disease cases (RDS) were preterm and low birth weight (96.2% & 93.7%% respectively). The majority of hyaline membrane diseased neonates who were treated bysurfactant or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) recovered (75.8%& 66.7%respectively) with significant statistically difference. The most fatal of respiratory distressdiseases were persistent pulmonary hypertension (91.2%). Significant independent factorsassociated with neonatal mortalities due to respiratory distress were residence, causes of RD,birth weight and place of delivery.

Conclusion

Hyaline membrane disease, pneumonia,transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN), meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) wereimportant causes of neonatal respiratory distress. Residence, causes of RD, birth weight andplace of delivery were significantly associated with respiratory distress mortalities.

Recommendation

Development of strategies aiming to reduction of RD among neonates ishighly recommended. Moreover, surveillance programs for neonatal mortality should becoupled with preventive measures and interventions for