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Fetal and infant growth and asthma symptoms in preschool children: the Generation R Study

Agnes M M Sonnenschein-van der Voort1, Vincent W V Jaddoe, Hein Raat

  • 1The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
|January 24, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Rapid weight gain in early infancy, not fetal growth, increases preschool children's risk of asthma symptoms. This highlights infancy as a critical period for asthma development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Respiratory Medicine

Background:

  • Low birth weight is a known risk factor for childhood wheezing.
  • Understanding fetal and infant growth's impact on respiratory health is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between fetal and infant growth patterns and asthma symptoms in preschool children.
  • To determine if early growth trajectories predict later respiratory health outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • A population-based prospective cohort study of 5,125 children.
  • Fetal growth estimated via serial ultrasounds; infant growth measured at birth and 3, 6, 12 months.
  • Parental questionnaires collected yearly on asthma symptoms until age 4.

Main Results:

  • Neither restricted nor accelerated fetal growth was linked to asthma symptoms.
  • Accelerated infant weight gain (birth to 3 months) correlated with increased risks of wheezing, shortness of breath, dry cough, and persistent phlegm.
  • These associations were independent of fetal growth and more pronounced in children of atopic mothers.

Conclusions:

  • Rapid weight gain during early infancy is associated with higher risks of asthma symptoms in preschool children.
  • Early infancy emerges as a potentially critical developmental window for asthma pathogenesis.
  • Fetal growth patterns did not predict asthma symptoms, emphasizing the importance of postnatal infant growth.
Abstract

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