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Wheeze phenotypes and lung function in preschool children

Lesley A Lowe1, Angela Simpson, Ashley Woodcock

  • 1North West Lung Centre, Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester M23 9LT, UK.

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
|October 27, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Poor preschool lung function predicts persistent childhood wheezing. Children with lower lung function at age 3 who wheezed were more likely to continue wheezing, but it did not predict new wheezing later.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Childhood wheezing presents distinct phenotypes.
  • Understanding the link between early lung function and wheeze phenotypes is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between preschool lung function and wheezing phenotypes in a birth cohort.
  • To identify predictors of persistent wheezing in early childhood.

Main Methods:

  • Classified children into wheeze phenotypes (never, transient early, late-onset, persistent) based on parent-reported history at ages 3 and 5.
  • Assessed lung function, specifically specific airway resistance (sRaw), at ages 3 and 5 years.
  • Used logistic regression to analyze the association between sRaw, sensitization, and wheeze phenotypes.

Main Results:

  • Persistent wheezers exhibited significantly poorer lung function (sRaw) compared to other groups.
  • Increased sRaw at age 3 was a significant predictor of persistent wheezing in children who had wheezed by age 3 (OR 5.2).
  • Child sensitization was also an independent predictor of persistent wheezing (OR 2.8).
  • No association was found between lung function at age 3 and late-onset wheeze in children without prior wheezing history.

Conclusions:

  • Poor lung function at age 3 is a predictor of persistent wheezing in children with early wheeze history.
  • Lung function at age 3 does not predict the onset of new wheezing episodes after age 3 in previously non-wheezing children.
  • Early lung function assessment may aid in identifying children at risk for chronic wheezing disorders.

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