Incidence of hyaline membrane disease in the Cape Coloured.

Hyaline membrane disease (HMD), which carries a significant mortality and morbidity, is usually a disorder of the preterm infant. Several workers have shown that there is a lower incidence in the Black and Coloured neonate than in the White neonate. These studies have not excluded the growth-retarded baby, in whom the functional maturation of vital organs may be accelerated. This article examines the incidence of HMD among appropriately grown Cape Coloured infants and compares this with the incidence in White infants.