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Is large birth weight associated with asthma risk in early childhood?

Teresa To1, Jun Guan, Chengning Wang

  • 1Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada. teresa.to@sickkids.ca

Archives of Disease in Childhood
|September 28, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Large birth weight in infants was linked to a reduced risk of developing childhood asthma. However, extremely large birth weight showed a trend towards increased asthma risk, suggesting interventions may be beneficial.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Environmental Health

Background:

  • Childhood asthma is a significant public health concern.
  • The relationship between birth weight and asthma risk is complex and debated.
  • Understanding risk factors for early-onset asthma is crucial for prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between various categories of birth weight and the risk of developing asthma in early childhood.
  • To clarify conflicting findings in previous research regarding birth weight and asthma.
  • To identify potential targets for asthma prevention strategies.

Main Methods:

  • A large cohort study of single live births in Ontario, Canada (n=687,194) was conducted.
  • Infants were followed from birth until their sixth birthday.
  • Birth weight was categorized (low, normal, large, extremely large), and Poisson regression analysis was employed.

Main Results:

  • Infants with large birth weight (4.6-6.5 kg) exhibited a slightly lower risk of asthma by age 6 compared to normal birth weight infants (adjusted RR 0.90).
  • A trend towards an increased risk of asthma was observed in extremely large birth weight infants (>6.5 kg) (RR 1.21).
  • These findings contrast with some previous reports suggesting a positive association.

Conclusions:

  • Contrary to prior studies, large birth weight is associated with a decreased risk of childhood asthma.
  • Extremely large birth weight may be a risk factor for developing asthma, warranting further investigation.
  • Interventions aimed at reducing the incidence of extreme large birth weight could potentially lower asthma risk.
Abstract

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