Is Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn Really Transient?

Transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN) occurs shortly after birth and lasts 2 to 5 days. TTN is a diagnosis of exclusion, and its etiology is unclear, but TTN is not thought to be associated with long-term sequelae. To examine the association between TTN and subsequent wheezing illnesses (bronchiolitis, acute or chronic bronchitis, asthma; or need for asthma medicine), investigators in Canada analyzed outpatient, hospitalization, and prescription population-based data for 12,763 term newborns in the 1995 Manitoba birth cohort.

TTN was diagnosed in 308 newborns (2.4%); 248 (1.9%) had TTN with no other pulmonary insults at birth (TTN-PI). Risk factors associated with TTN were cesarean section, male sex, urban location, high birth weight, and…