Abstract
Background: The aim of the study is to assess whether lung function of infants born preterm predicts wheezing in pre-school age. Methods: A survey of the core wheezing questionnaire of the International Study on Asthma and Allergy in Children was administered to parents of preterm newborns, to whom lung function tests were performed at a corrected age of six months, and who, at the time of the survey, were between three and nine years of age. Results: Low values of all lung function parameters measured, except FVC, were predictors of wheezing at some time in life, (FEV0.5 OR: 0.62 (95%CI 0.39; 0.995); FEV0.5/FVC OR: 0.73 (0.54; 0.99)) FEF75 OR: 0.60 [0.37; 0.93]; FEF25-75 OR: 0.57 (0.37; 0.89)); and of wheezing in the past year (FEV0.5 OR: 0.36 (0.17; 0.76); FEV0.5/FVC OR: 0.59 (0.38; 0.93); FEF75 OR: 0.38 [0.19; 0.76]; FEF25-75 OR: 0.35 (0.17; 0.70). In addition, FEV0.5/FVC values lower than the lowest limit of normality, were predictive of hospital admissions due to wheezing (OR: 3.07; (1.02; 9.25)). Conclusions: Limited lung function in infancy is predictive of both future wheezing and hospitalization for a wheezing episode.
Highlights
According to previous studies, children born preterm have an increased risk of wheeze and asthma as compared to children born at term
A survey of the core wheezing questionnaire of the International Study on Asthma and Allergy in Children was administered to parents of preterm newborns, to whom lung function tests were performed at a corrected age of six months, and who, at the time of the survey, were between three and nine years of age
Preterm children have lower lung function during their infancy than their counterparts born at term [3,4] and this low lung function persists until school age [5,6] and even into adulthood [7,8]
Summary
Children born preterm have an increased risk of wheeze and asthma as compared to children born at term. One study [12] on the differences in lung function between infants with BPD and healthy ones, showed that the infants with BDP who presented recurrent wheeze had significant reductions in forced expiratory flow at 25% of the forced vital capacity (FEF25), and increased residual volume (RV), as compared to the normal infants. Even when they were compared to their counterparts without wheeze, those infants who had suffered BPD and wheeze had both RV as well as the ratio between RV and the total lung capacity (TLC) significantly higher. Conclusions: Limited lung function in infancy is predictive of both future wheezing and hospitalization for a wheezing episode.
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