Published ahead of print on December 1, 2005, doi:10.1164/rccm.200503-444OC Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 173, Number 4, February 2006, 442-447 A more recent version of this article appeared on February 15, 2006
Submitted on March 21, 2005 Reduced Lung Function in Healthy Preterm Infantsin the First Months of LifeLuciana Friedrich1,1 Department of Pediatrics, Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mhjones{at}pucrs.br.
Rationale: Preterm delivery has been associated with a higher incidence of respiratory morbidity even in infants that do not have significant respiratory disease during the neonatal period. Reduced flows have been reported in children and adolescents born prematurely. Objective: The aim of this study is to assess lung function in healthy preterm infants in the first months of life. Methods: Preterm infants, with less than 48 hours of supplemental oxygen were recruited. Lung function was assessed by the raised volume rapid thoracic compression in the first months of life. Control group consisted of full term infants without a history of respiratory diseases. Measurements and main results: Sixty-two preterm (29 male) and 27 full term (10 male) infants were tested. Adjusting for length, age and sex we found a significant reduction of mean(percent) 92 mL/s(22%) in FEF50, 73 mL/s(21%) in FEF25-75 and 19 mL(28%) in FEV0.5 in the preterm group. These differences in expiratory flows remain significant using another model that adjusts for lung volume (p<0.01 for FEF50, FEF25-75 and FEV0.5 and p<0.05 for FEF75). In the preterm group, after adjusting for length, male sex, lower gestational age and increased weight were significantly and independently associated with reduced flows. Conclusions: Our findings confirm that prematurity is independently associated with reduced lung function and that this is detectable in the first months of life. Male sex, lower gestational age and weight are important predictors for reduced expiratory flows in this group. Key words: lung function tests, premature infant, preterm birth, maximal expiratory flow-volume curves
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