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Auricular Acupressure as an Adjuvant Treatment for Wheezing in Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
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Reduced infant lung function, active smoking, and wheeze in 18-year-old individuals

David Mullane1, Steve W Turner, Des W Cox

  • 1Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.

JAMA Pediatrics
|February 20, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Reduced infant lung function is linked to persistent wheeze in 18-year-olds. Other factors include infant atopy, maternal asthma, and smoking, offering insights into obstructive airways disease.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric respiratory health
  • Pulmonary function development
  • Epidemiology of wheeze and asthma

Background:

  • Wheeze in childhood can persist into adulthood, impacting long-term respiratory health.
  • Early life factors influencing the development of persistent wheeze require further investigation.
  • Understanding the origins of obstructive airways disease in young adults is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if reduced lung function in infancy predicts persistent wheeze at age 18.
  • To identify other early-life factors associated with persistent wheeze in young adults.

Main Methods:

  • A birth cohort study followed 150 individuals from 1 month to 18 years of age in Perth, Western Australia.
  • Maximal flow at functional residual capacity (V'maxFRC) was measured in infants.
  • Wheeze status was categorized based on reported symptoms, and smoking status was recorded at age 18.

Main Results:

  • Reduced percentage of predicted V'maxFRC in infancy was independently associated with persistent wheeze at age 18 (43% mean reduction).
  • Persistent wheeze was also linked to infant atopy (OR=7.1), maternal asthma (OR=6.8), and active smoking (OR=4.8).
  • Reduced infant lung function was associated with wheeze at age 18 only among current smokers.

Conclusions:

  • Persistent wheeze from childhood to young adulthood is associated with reduced infant lung function, atopy, maternal asthma, and smoking.
  • Active smoking interacts with reduced infant lung function to increase the risk of wheeze at age 18.
  • These findings provide critical insights into the developmental origins of obstructive airways disease.
Abstract

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