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Teenage asthma after severe infantile bronchiolitis or pneumonia

Mari Hyvärinen1, Eija Piippo-Savolainen, Kaj Korhonen

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|November 3, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Infantile bronchiolitis or pneumonia increases asthma risk in teenagers. Early atopy and repeated wheezing are key predictors, while early Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection showed no significant link to teenage asthma.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
  • Allergology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Infantile bronchiolitis and pneumonia are common respiratory infections in early childhood.
  • Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition often developing in childhood.
  • Long-term respiratory outcomes following early childhood infections require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of asthma in children older than 13 years who experienced infantile bronchiolitis or pneumonia.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 127 children hospitalized for bronchiolitis or pneumonia before age 2 was followed.
  • Data on Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection, eosinophilia, and atopy were collected upon admission.
  • Asthma and atopic symptoms were assessed via questionnaire at a median age of 14.9 years.

Main Results:

  • Asthma prevalence ranged from 12% to 23% in the pneumonia and bronchiolitis groups, respectively.
  • Early predictors of asthma included recurrent wheezing, atopic dermatitis, and elevated blood eosinophils.
  • Allergic rhinitis was highly prevalent among teenage asthmatics.

Conclusions:

  • Bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infancy are associated with a persistent increased risk of asthma into adolescence.
  • Both early-life and later-life atopy are significant risk factors for developing asthma.
  • No significant association was found between early RSV infection and the development of teenage asthma.
Abstract

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