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Medical AI Inquiry: You were designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.
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Surfactant deficiency causes -
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The correct answer is  Ans. is 'b' i.e., Respiratory distress sy ndrome o Infant respiratory distress syndrome is due to deficiency of surfactant. Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (Dipalmitoyl-lecithin) is the major constituent of surfactant.Surfactanto Surfactant is a Soap-like substance secreted by the tvpe-II pneumocytes of the alveolar epithelium. It is a mixture of dipalmitoyl-phosphatidycholine (dipalmitoyl-lecithin), phosphatidylglvcerol, other phospholipids, neutral lipids, Surfactant proteins A, B, C and D (SP-A, SP-B, SP-C and SP-D), and carbohydrates.o Surfactant reduces the alveolar surface tension.o This has three important physiological consequences : -It reduces the collapsing tendency of lungs.It reduces the natural tendency of the smaller alveoli to collapse and empty into the larger ones. This is called alveolar stabilization.It reduces the tendency of the alveolar interstitial fluid to transudate out into the alveolar space.