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Exhaled nitric oxide at school age in prematurely born infants with neonatal chronic lung disease

Suvi T Mieskonen1, L Pekka Malmberg, M Anneli Kari

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Jorvi Hospital, Espoo, Finland. suvi.mieskonen@hus.fi

Pediatric Pulmonology
|April 12, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Children born very prematurely with chronic lung disease (CLD) show bronchial obstruction, but exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) levels do not indicate airway inflammation in nonatopic individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Neonatology
  • Allergy and Immunology

Background:

  • Infants born prematurely with chronic lung disease (CLD) experience significant respiratory issues and bronchial obstruction later in childhood.
  • The underlying causes of these lung function abnormalities, particularly the role of inflammation, require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the potential inflammatory basis of lung function abnormalities in school-aged children born very prematurely.
  • To investigate the relationship between exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) levels, atopy, and chronic lung disease (CLD) history in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Study included 40 very prematurely born children (7.5-9.6 years) and 14 term-born controls.
  • Evaluated lung function using flow-volume spirometry and measured exhaled nitric oxide (eNO).
  • Compared eNO levels and spirometry results between atopic/nonatopic prematurely born children, CLD/non-CLD groups, and controls.

Main Results:

  • Prematurely born children had significantly lower spirometry values than controls, indicating bronchial obstruction.
  • Nonatopic prematurely born children, even with a history of CLD, did not show elevated eNO levels compared to controls.
  • eNO levels were significantly higher in atopic prematurely born children than nonatopic ones, but not associated with CLD severity.

Conclusions:

  • Airway inflammation, as indicated by eNO, is not evident in nonatopic school-aged children born very prematurely with a history of CLD.
  • Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) levels do not correlate with the severity of chronic lung disease in this cohort.
  • Atopy appears to be a significant factor influencing eNO levels in prematurely born children, irrespective of CLD history.

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