Air Pollution Influence During Intrauterine Development and Early Childhood on Respiratory Functions at Later Age

Abstract

ISEE-580 Objective: The aim of the research is to estimate the influence of high levels of air pollution during intrauterine development and early childhood on the respiratory functions at a later stage in life. Materials and Methods: A complete functional respiratory test of 3 groups of clinically healthy 10-year-old children was carried out (MasterScreen Diffusion™, Jaeger, Wuerzburg, Germany). The test subjects had lived in the same areas and had attended the same schools, respectively: First group (I), n=60—born and lived to their fifth year of age under conditions of heavy air pollution, and whose mothers had their pregnancies in the same environment; Second group (II), n=39—born and lived after the abrupt production drop, under considerably lower level of pollution, but whose mothers had their pregnancies before that; Third group (III), n=23—born after the abrupt production drop, lived in conditions of considerably lower level of pollution, and whose mothers had their pregnancies in this more favorable environment. Results: The main results: FVC1%pred: 100.41±12.05 (I), 107.38±12.55 (II), 111.56±11.08 (III), PIvsII=0.017, PIvsIII=0.001, PIIvsIII=0.57; MEF50%pred: 91.51±22.18 (I), 97.07±18.52 (II), 103.12±14.18 (III), PIvsII=0.52, PIvsIII=0.055, PIIvsIII=0.74; MEF25%pred:78.78±29.12 (I), 86.74±27.55 (II), 99.73 (III), PIvsII=0.54, PIvsIII=0.01, PIIvsIII=0.26; TLC%pred – 89.85±8.54 (I), 102.76±11.57 (II), 102.83±11.47 (III), PIvsII<0.0001, PIvsIII<0.0001, PIIvsIII=1. Conclusions: The results indicate that in all 3 groups the spyrographic parameters are within the referential limits, but they are the lowest in the first group, and the most favorable in the third group. The research provided evidence for the negative influence of high levels of air pollution during the intrauterine development and during early childhood, manifested in limitations of respiratory functions at a later stage of childhood.