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Lung function after preterm birth: development from mid-childhood to adulthood

Maria Vollsæter1, Ola Drange Røksund, Geir Egil Eide

  • 1Department of Clinical Science, Section for Pediatrics, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. maria.vollsaeter@helse-bergen.no

Thorax
|June 11, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Extreme preterm birth, especially with neonatal bronchopulmonary dysplasia, leads to lasting airway obstruction into adulthood. Lung function tracks similarly across groups, but at lower levels for preterm infants.

Area of Science:

  • Pulmonology
  • Neonatology
  • Pediatric Medicine

Background:

  • Advances in perinatal care increase survival rates for extremely preterm infants.
  • Concerns exist regarding the long-term pulmonary health consequences of preterm birth and its treatments.
  • Preterm birth may contribute to chronic airway obstruction in adulthood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the longitudinal development of spirometric lung function from mid-childhood to adulthood in individuals born extremely preterm.
  • To compare lung function trajectories between preterm-born and term-born individuals.

Main Methods:

  • Two population-based cohorts of infants born at gestational age ≤28 weeks or birth weight ≤1000 g underwent lung function testing.
  • Tests were conducted at ages 10 and 18, and 18 and 25 years, with matched term-born controls.
  • Longitudinal development was analyzed, stratified by the presence and severity of neonatal bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

Main Results:

  • Preterm infants, particularly those with neonatal BPD, exhibited significantly lower forced expiratory volume in 1 second and mid-expiratory flow compared to term-born controls.
  • These differences persisted across all assessment points.
  • Lung function indices showed similar tracking patterns within preterm and term-born groups, irrespective of BPD severity.

Conclusions:

  • Airway obstruction is a persistent condition from mid-childhood through adulthood following extreme preterm birth, most pronounced in those with neonatal BPD.
  • Despite lower absolute values, lung function development trajectories were comparable between preterm and term-born individuals.
Abstract

Keywords:
COPD epidemiologyClinical EpidemiologyPaediatric Lung Disaese

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