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Published on: August 7, 2017
Respiratory function in children of asthmatic mothers
Marco A Valadares1, Ricardo Q Gurgel, Enaldo V Melo
1Universidade Federal de Sergipe UFS, São Cristóvão, SE, Brazil. valadares-oliveira@uol.com.br
Insights
Children born to mothers with asthma show high rates of lung function abnormalities. Clinical symptoms, not just prior diagnosis, indicate a higher asthma prevalence, suggesting a need for proactive screening.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Asthma Research
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Maternal asthma is a known risk factor for childhood respiratory issues.
- Understanding the impact of maternal asthma on offspring lung health is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess lung function and asthma-related symptoms in six-year-old children whose mothers have a pre-pregnancy asthma diagnosis.
- To identify factors associated with respiratory disorders in this pediatric cohort.
Main Methods:
- Observational cross-sectional study involving 86 children of asthmatic mothers.
- Spirometry was performed on children, alongside data collection on clinical symptoms, atopy, and socioeconomic/exposure variables.
- The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire was utilized.
Main Results:
- 30.3% of children exhibited spirometric alterations, with a higher prevalence of restrictive patterns.
- The clinical diagnosis of asthma, based on symptoms, was 18.6%, significantly higher than the recorded medical diagnosis (9.3%).
- A high ISAAC questionnaire score (≥5) was associated with spirometry alterations (p=0.002).
- Protective factors against respiratory disorders included higher paternal education, more bedrooms per home, and maternal absence of wheezing during pregnancy.
Conclusions:
- Children of mothers with asthma demonstrate a high frequency of abnormal lung function, predominantly restrictive patterns.
- Clinical presentation of asthma symptoms is a stronger indicator of disease in children than prior medical diagnosis.
- Findings suggest a greater clinical relevance of asthma symptoms than previously reported in the literature for this population.
Objective:
To evaluate lung function and clinical manifestations suggestive of asthma in children of mothers with a reported medical diagnosis of asthma.
Methods:
An observational cross-sectional analytical study nested in a cohort of 4,757 pregnant women. A total of 86 six-year-old children were evaluated, born to mothers with a medical diagnosis of asthma before pregnancy. Information was collected regarding clinical symptoms of atopy and respiratory diseases, as well as socioeconomic and exposure variables; the children were submitted to spirometry.
Results:
Spirometric alterations were observed in 30.3% of cases, with a prevalence of asthma in those who had an obstructive pattern. 9.3% of the children had a previous medical diagnosis of asthma; however, the established diagnosis based on the presence and frequency of asthma symptoms was 18.6%. Of the 86 participating children, 37.2% had a score of five or more points in the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire, which was associated with spirometry alterations (p=0.002). After multiple logistic regression analysis, higher paternal education, higher number of bedrooms in the family's home, and mother who did not have "wheezing" episodes during pregnancy were statistically significant as protective factors for the presence of respiratory disorder detected by spirometry.
Conclusions:
The frequency of spirometry alterations in children of asthmatic mothers was high; the restrictive pattern was more often observed that the obstructive. There was a higher incidence of obstructive test results in those who presented clinical symptoms of asthma, with a higher frequency of clinical diagnosis of asthma than that found in the literature.
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