alleryStart learning →What proportions of preterm infants are quoted as developing respiratory distress syndrome?
AUp to 30 percent at 26 to 28 weeks
BUp to 80 percent at 30 to 31 weeks
CUp to 50 percent at 30 to 31 weeks
DUp to 50 percent at 26 to 28 weeks
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Up to 50 percent at 26 to 28 weeks
1. Two figures are given, one for each gestational band.
2. Up to 50 percent of infants born between 26 and 28 weeks develop the syndrome.
3. Fewer than 30 percent of infants born between 30 and 31 weeks develop it.
4. The later the birth, the more surfactant has accumulated, so the risk falls with gestational age.
5. So the fourth option is correct.
6. The first option attaches the 30 percent figure to the earlier band, which reverses the trend the two numbers describe.
_Source: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology (CC BY 4.0), Ch 22 "The Respiratory System", section 22.7 Embryonic Development of the Respiratory System_
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