MORPHOLOGY OF THE ADRENAL GLANDS IN PREMATURE INFANTS WITH RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME

Аннотация

In preterm newborns, incomplete development of the adrenal glands and thymic enlargement in the form of hyperplasia are associated with a reduced ability to mount adequate adaptive responses to extreme stress factors. This condition is manifested by the severe course of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and a direct deficiency of the adrenal hormone cortisol. Cortisol deficiency, in turn, leads to impaired lung expansion and incomplete synthesis of surfactant. Morphological examination of the adrenal glands reveals signs of immaturity: the glomerular zones are mostly in a primordial state, the spongiocytes are small with large nuclei and contain few lipid inclusions in the cytoplasm, and the epithelial cells of the reticular layer are characterized by small nuclei and light cytoplasm.