Article Text

Download PDFPDF
Lung function in children of low birth weight.
  1. K N Chan,
  2. C M Noble-Jamieson,
  3. A Elliman,
  4. E M Bryan,
  5. M Silverman
  1. Department of Paediatrics and Neonatal Medicine, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital.

    Abstract

    Lung function was recorded in a cohort of 130 age specific children of low birth weight (under 2000 g) and a reference population of 120 unselected local schoolchildren at 7 years of age. Children of the cohort were similar in height and forced vital capacity to the reference group, but had significantly reduced forced expiratory volume in 0.75 second and expiratory flow indices. Although neonatal respiratory illness was associated with reduced airway function, we were unable to confirm that this was a consequence of oxygen treatment or mechanical ventilation. Low birth weight, however, was closely associated with poor airway function independent of neonatal respiratory illness. Other factors of importance included the male gender and maternal smoking. The reduction in airway function observed in the low birthweight children was associated with cough but not wheeze. The disparity between the relatively well preserved vital capacity and reduced airway function suggests that very low birth weight, and hence prematurity, has its greatest effect on the subsequent growth of airway function. The absence of an association between neonatal oxygen score or mechanical ventilation and childhood lung function suggests that the long term effect of neonatal respiratory treatment is small compared with that of birth weight, maternal smoking, and male sex.

    Statistics from Altmetric.com

    Request Permissions

    If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.