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Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels
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Published on: August 7, 2017

Lung function development in the first 2 yr of life is independent of allergic diseases by 2 yr

Geir Håland1, Kai-Håkon Carlsen, Chandra Sekhar Devulapalli

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Woman and Child, Ullevål University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. geir.haland@medisin.uio.no

Pediatric Allergy and Immunology : Official Publication of the European Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
|June 15, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Infant lung function at birth predicts lung function at two years. However, common childhood conditions like recurrent bronchial obstruction or atopic eczema do not influence this lung function development trajectory.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Respiratory Physiology
  • Childhood Asthma Research

Background:

  • Lung function assessment in infancy is crucial for understanding respiratory health trajectories.
  • Recurrent bronchial obstruction (rBO) and atopic eczema (AE) are common childhood conditions that may impact lung development.
  • Predictive markers for lung function in early childhood are essential for early intervention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if infant lung function predicts lung function at two years of age.
  • To investigate the influence of recurrent bronchial obstruction (rBO) and atopic eczema (AE) phenotypes on lung function development by age two.
  • To analyze the tracking of lung function parameters from birth to early childhood.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective birth cohort study ('Environment and Childhood Asthma Study' in Oslo) with lung function measurements at birth (n=802) and 2 years (n=90).
  • Lung function assessed using tidal flow volume (TFV) loops and passive respiratory mechanics, focusing on time to peak tidal expiratory flow/total expiratory time (t(PTEF)/t(E)).
  • Children categorized by quartiles of t(PTEF)/t(E) at birth and by clinical phenotype (rBO and/or AE) at 2 years.

Main Results:

  • A significant correlation was observed between t(PTEF)/t(E) at birth and at 2 years (r=0.475, p<0.001), indicating lung function tracking.
  • Children with both rBO and AE by 2 years showed significantly lower t(PTEF)/t(E) at both birth (p=0.027) and 2 years (p=0.002) compared to children without these conditions.
  • Clinical phenotype (rBO/AE) did not significantly influence the change in t(PTEF)/t(E) from birth to 2 years after controlling for regression to the mean.

Conclusions:

  • Infant lung function demonstrates significant tracking into early childhood.
  • The development of lung function from birth to 2 years is not significantly influenced by the presence of recurrent bronchial obstruction or atopic eczema.
  • Early lung function measurements can serve as a predictor for respiratory health in the first two years of life.

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