Antenatal size, early childhood growth, and asthma within a cohort created by data linkage

Area of Science:

• Perinatal epidemiology
• Pediatric respiratory health
• Growth and development

Background:

• The timing of the association between small for gestational age (SGA) and asthma development is not well understood.
• This study investigates the hypothesis that being SGA before birth increases asthma risk.
• Utilizes routinely collected data from early gestation to adulthood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if SGA is associated with an increased risk of asthma.
• To examine the relationship between early growth measurements and later asthma outcomes.
• To identify potential intervention points for improving asthma outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Linked routinely acquired data including antenatal ultrasound, maternal, birth, and childhood anthropometric measurements (up to age 5).
• Utilized hospital admission data (1987-2015) and family doctor prescribing data (2009-2015) for asthma outcomes.
• Analyzed associations between single and multiple anthropometric measurements and asthma admission/medication use.

Main Results:

• Increased first-trimester length was associated with reduced odds of asthma admission (OR 0.991 per mm) and shorter time to first admission (HR 0.987 per mm).
• Independently, increased height at 5 years was linked to reduced asthma admission odds (OR 0.874 per z-score).
• Longitudinal weight measurements did not show a significant relationship with asthma outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Longer first-trimester length and greater childhood height are independently associated with more favorable asthma outcomes.
• Interventions aimed at reducing SGA and promoting healthy postnatal growth could potentially improve asthma outcomes.
• Early growth parameters provide valuable insights into later respiratory health risks.