Chest
Volume 137, Issue 1, January 2010, Pages 146-155
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Original Research
Lung Function
Childhood Respiratory Illness and Lung Function at Ages 14 and 50 Years: Childhood Respiratory Illness and Lung Function

https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.09-0352Get rights and content

Background

Although childhood respiratory tract infections and low birth weight have both been associated with reduced adult lung function, little is known about the timing of these associations during life. We used data from the Newcastle Thousand Families Study to examine how these and other factors influenced FEV1 at age 14 years and between 14 and 49 to 51 years.

Methods

Detailed information was collected prospectively during childhood. At age 14 years, 252 members of the cohort were recruited into a case-control study of respiratory health, which included measurement of FEV1. One hundred twenty-two of these were measured again at age 49 to 51 years. Linear regression models were used to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal influences on FEV1.

Results

Lower height (P < .001), lower BMI (P < .001), being breast fed for less than 4 weeks (P = .028), childhood history of severe respiratory illness (P = .014), childhood history of asthma (P = .004), childhood history of TB (P = .023), and birth into a lower social class (P = .049) were all significant independent predictors of lower FEV1 at 14 years of age. Correspondingly, being a women (P < .001), and having a higher FEV1 at age 14 years (P < .001), a lower standardized birth weight (P = .025), a greater lifetime number of cigarettes smoked (P = .007), and a childhood history of severe respiratory illness (P = .047) were all independently associated with a greater decline (or a smaller increase) in FEV1 between age 14 and 49 to 51 years.

Conclusions

This study suggests that the change in FEV1 between youth and middle age depends on several factors acting throughout life, including FEV1 in adolescence, sex, cigarette smoking, birth weight, and childhood respiratory health.

Section snippets

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

References (0)

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Funding/Support: This analysis was funded by the Newcastle Healthcare Charity.

Reproduction of this article is prohibited without written permission from the American College of Chest Physicians (www.chestjournal.org/site/misc/reprints.xhtml).

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