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Published on: August 7, 2017
Preterm birth and low birth weight continue to increase the risk of asthma from age 7 to 43
Melanie C Matheson1, Ana López-Polín D Olhaberriague1, John A Burgess1
1a Allergy and Lung Health Unit, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics , The University of Melbourne , Australia.
Insights
Low birth weight and preterm birth increase the risk of developing asthma throughout life. These birth characteristics continue to impact asthma risk into middle age.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Perinatal events are linked to childhood asthma development, but evidence on long-term asthma risk is conflicting.
- Understanding the lifelong impact of birth characteristics on asthma is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between birth characteristics and asthma development from childhood through adulthood.
- To analyze the lifetime risk of current and incident asthma based on birth weight and gestational age.
Main Methods:
- Utilized birth records from the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS) cohort (born 1961).
- Defined low birth weight (LBW) as <2500g, preterm birth as <37 weeks gestation, and small for gestational age (SGA) below the 10th percentile.
- Employed multivariate logistic and Cox regression to assess associations, adjusting for confounders.
Main Results:
- LBW (5.2%) and preterm birth (3.3%) were linked to higher current asthma risk up to age 43.
- SGA (13.8%) showed no association with current asthma but was linked to incident asthma (HR=1.32).
- A sex interaction was observed for SGA and incident asthma, with males at higher risk.
Conclusions:
- Preterm birth and LBW are associated with increased asthma risk persisting into middle age.
- This study provides novel evidence on the enduring effects of birth characteristics on asthma risk across the lifespan.
Background:
Perinatal events can influence the development of asthma in childhood but current evidence is contradictory concerning the effects on life-time asthma risk.
Objective:
To assess the relationship between birth characteristics and asthma from childhood to adulthood.
Methodology:
All available birth records for the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS) cohort, born in 1961 were obtained from the Tasmanian State Archives and Tasmanian hospitals. Low birth weight (LBW) was defined as less than 2500 grams. Preterm birth was defined as delivery before 37 weeks' gestation. Small for gestational age (SGA) was defined as a birth weight below the 10th percentile for a given gestational age. Multivariate logistic and cox regression were used to examine associations between birth characteristics and lifetime risk of current and incident asthma, adjusting for confounders.
Results:
The prevalence of LBW was 5.2%, SGA was 13.8% and preterm was 3.3%. LBW (OR = 1.65, 95%CI 1.12,2.44) and preterm birth (OR = 1.81, 95%CI 0.99, 3.31) were both associated with an increased risk of current asthma between the ages of 7 to 43 years. There was no association between SGA and current asthma risk. However, SGA was associated with incident asthma (HR = 1.32, 95%CI 1.00, 1.74), and there was an interaction with sex (p value = 0.08), with males having a greater risk of incident asthma (HR = 1.70, 95%CI 1.16-2.49) than females (HR = 1.04, 95%CI 0.70-1.54).
Conclusions:
Preterm birth and LBW were associated with an increased risk of current asthma into middle-age. These findings are the first to demonstrate the continuing impact of these characteristics on asthma risk into middle-age.
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