Respiratory function at age 8-9 years in extremely low birthweight/very preterm children born in Victoria in 1991-1992

• Published in: Pediatric pulmonology Vol. 41; no. 6; pp. 570 - 576
• Main Authors: Doyle, Lex W., Anderson, Peter, Callanan, Catherine, Carse, Elizabeth, Casalaz, Dan, Charlton, Margaret P., Davis, Noni, Duff, Julianne, Ford, Geoffrey, Fraser, Simon, Freezer, Nicholas, Hayes, Marie, Kaimakamis, Mary, Kelly, Elaine, Opie, Gillian, Watkins, Andrew, Woods, Heather, Yu, Victor
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.06.2006; Wiley-Liss
• Subjects: Asthma - physiopathology; Biological and medical sciences; bronchopulmonary dysplasia; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia - physiopathology; Child; Cohort Studies; Diseases of mother, fetus and pregnancy; extremely low birth weight; Forced Expiratory Flow Rates - physiology; Forced Expiratory Volume - physiology; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature - growth & development; Infant, Premature - physiology; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight - growth & development; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight - physiology; Medical sciences; Pneumology; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta; Pulmonary Ventilation - physiology; Residual Volume - physiology; Respiratory Function Tests; Respiratory Physiological Phenomena; Respiratory system : syndromes and miscellaneous diseases; surfactant; Total Lung Capacity - physiology; very preterm infants; Victoria; Vital Capacity - physiology; Victoria; Human; Premature; Lung disease; Pediatrics; Pregnancy disorders; Respiratory disease; Low birth weight; Extremely low birthweight; Very low birthweight; Newborn diseases; Lung function; Prematurity; Pulmonary surfactant; extremely low birth weight; very preterm infants; respiratory function tests; Bronchus disease; Bronchopulmonary dysplasia; Child; Age; surfactant
• ISSN: 8755-6863; 1099-0496
• DOI: 10.1002/ppul.20412

Our aim was to determine respiratory function at 8 years of age in extremely low birth weight (ELBW; birth weight, < 1,000 g)/very preterm (< 28 weeks of gestation) children born in the 1990s compared with normal birth weight (NBW; birth weight, >2,499 g) controls. The ELBW/very preterm subjects comprised 298 consecutive survivors with either birth weight < 1,000 g or gestational age < 28 weeks born in the state of Victoria during 1991–1992. Controls comprised 262 randomly selected NBW survivors. Respiratory function was measured on 81% (240/298) of the ELBW/very preterm children and 79% (208/262) of the NBW controls. Respiratory function variables reflecting airflow were substantially diminished in ELBW/very preterm children compared with NBW controls. Moreover, the proportions with clinically important reductions in airflow were higher in the ELBW/very preterm group (e.g., forced expired volume in 1 sec, < 75%; ELBW/very preterm, 19.7%; NBW, 2.4%; P < 0.0001). Within the ELBW/very preterm group, children who had bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in the newborn period and those who had later asthma had significantly reduced respiratory function in variables reflecting airflow. In conclusion, the abnormalities in respiratory function in ELBW/very preterm children compared with NBW subjects described in the presurfactant era persisted in the 1990s, especially in those who had BPD in the newborn period. Pediatr Pulmonol. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.