[Association of different stages of histological chorioamnionitis with respiratory distress syndrome in preterm infants with a gestational age of < 32 weeks].

OBJECTIVE To study the association of different stages of histological chorioamnionitis (HCA) with the incidence rate and severity of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in preterm infants. METHODS Related data were collected from the infants and their mothers who were treated in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Qingdao Women and Children's Hospital, Qingdao University, from January 2018 to June 2020. According to the presence or absence of HCA and its stage, the infants were divided into four groups: control (n=109), early-stage HCA (n=126), middle-stage HCA (n=105), and late-stage HCA (n=36). The four groups were compared in terms of gestational age, birth weight, sex, maternal age, placental abruption, prenatal use of antibiotics, and incidence rate of RDS. The correlation between HCA stage and RDS severity was analyzed. RESULTS Compared with the control and late-stage HCA groups, the early-stage HCA group had a significantly lower incidence rate of placental abruption and a significantly higher rate of prenatal use of antibiotics (P 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Early-, middle-, and late-stage HCA can reduce the incidence rate of RDS in preterm infants. HCA stage may not be correlated with RDS severity in preterm infants, which needs to be verified by further research.