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Reference data for BabyBody-plethysmographic measurements in Chinese neonates and infants
Gaoli Jiang1, Albert Li2, Libo Wang1
1Department of Respirology, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Insights
This study provides crucial lung function reference data for Chinese neonates and infants. Length and weight are key predictors of respiratory health in young children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Neonatal Physiology
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Population-specific pulmonary function data are vital for diagnosing respiratory diseases.
- Existing reference data for Chinese neonates and infants are scarce.
- This study addresses the need for localized lung function norms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish reference data for tidal breathing and plethysmography in Chinese neonates and infants.
- To develop predictive equations for lung function parameters in the first two years of life.
- To provide a normative dataset for clinical assessment of respiratory health in this population.
Main Methods:
- Collected tidal breathing and plethysmography data from healthy Chinese neonates and infants (0-24 months).
- Utilized the Jaeger MasterScreen BabyBody system with sedated subjects.
- Employed multivariable analyses and the LMS method to construct reference equations and percentiles.
Main Results:
- Data from 396 neonates and 370 infants yielded acceptable measurements.
- Derived normal reference percentiles and equations for tidal breathing and plethysmography.
- Identified body weight, crown-heel length, and age as significant predictors of lung function, with length being the strongest.
Conclusions:
- This study presents the first reference data for BabyBody-plethysmographic measurements in healthy Chinese subjects up to two years of age.
- Crown-heel length and body weight are identified as the primary predictors of lung function in neonates and infants, respectively.
- These findings are essential for accurate diagnosis and management of pediatric respiratory conditions in China.
Background And Objective:
Population-specific pulmonary function reference data are essential to identify the nature and severity of respiratory diseases. However, there is a lack of reference data for Chinese neonates and infants. The objective of this study was to develop reference data for tidal breathing and plethysmographic measurements for Chinese subjects during the first 2 years of life.
Methods:
Data of tidal breathing and plethysmography from healthy Chinese neonates (≤28 days) and infants (1-24 months) using the Jaeger MasterScreen BabyBody were collated. All subjects were sedated for the tests. Multivariable analyses were performed to determine predictive variables for the pulmonary function parameters. Reference equations for outcomes were constructed using multilevel modelling and the LMS (lambda-mu-sigma) method was used for establishing smoothed reference percentiles.
Results:
Four hundred and ten healthy subjects were tested. Acceptable measurements of tidal breathing analysis and plethysmography outcomes were obtained in 396 (96.6%) and 370 (90.4%) subjects, respectively. Normal reference percentiles and equations for the main parameters of tidal breathing and plethysmography were derived from test occasions of 211 neonates and 185 infants. Body weight, crown-heel length and age were significantly associated with lung function, of which length was the strongest predictor.
Conclusion:
This study provides reference data of BabyBody-plethysmographic measurements for healthy Chinese subjects in their first 2 years of life. Weight and length are the strongest predictors for neonatal and infant lung function, respectively.
