Chest
Original ResearchLung FunctionChildhood Respiratory Illness and Lung Function at Ages 14 and 50 Years: Childhood Respiratory Illness and Lung Function
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Study Participants
The Newcastle Thousand Families Study is a prospective study of 1,142 children born in May and June of 1947. Participants in the current investigation comprise 252 singleton members of the cohort who were recruited into a nested case-control study in 1961 and had ventilatory function recorded.15 Cases (n = 167) were defined as individuals who had severe respiratory infection before 5 years of age or in whom respiratory disease was suspected by a general practitioner or a member of the original
Results
Descriptive statistics for all infant and childhood variables are shown in Table 1, Table 2, Table 3. None was significantly different between cases and controls, except the number of LRTIs in the first 5 years (P < .001).
One hundred twenty-two of the 252 study members with spirometric measurements at age 14 years returned at age 49 to 51 years. Comparison of early life variables between these and the original sample showed more women (P = .034), fewer in social groups IV and V (P = .020),
Principal Findings
This study used information collected prospectively at birth, during childhood, during adolescence (as part of a case-control study of respiratory health), and in adulthood to identify factors influencing FEV1 at age 14 years and change in FEV1 between age 14 and 49 to 51 years. Individuals with a childhood history of respiratory illness had significantly lower FEV1 at age 14 years than healthy controls, and a greater decline between age 14 and 49 to 51 years. Lower height, lower BMI, being
Acknowledgments
Author contributions: All authors declare that they read and approved the final version of the manuscript before submission.
Mr Tennant: participated in the analysis of the data and drafting of the manuscript.
Dr Gibson: participated in the design of the study, critical review of the manuscript, and obtained funding for this analysis.
Dr Pearce: participated in the design of the study, critical review of the manuscript, and obtained funding for this analysis.
Dr Parker: participated in the design
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Funding/Support: This analysis was funded by the Newcastle Healthcare Charity.
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