Pediatric pulmonology
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Pediatric pulmonology · Nov 1995
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialLong-term pulmonary functional outcome of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and premature birth.
Pulmonary function and exercise tolerance were evaluated in late childhood in two groups of prematurely born children: one group with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) [n = 15; gestational age at birth (GA): 29.6 +/- 2.8 weeks; birth weight (BW): 1,367 +/- 548 g; age at test: 7.9 +/- 0.6 years], and a second group without significant neonatal lung disease [pre-term (PT)] (n = 9; GA: 30.3 +/- 1.7 weeks; BW: 1,440 +/- 376 g; age at test: 7.8 +/- 0.22 years). The results were compared with a control group of children of similar ages and heights, born at term [term born (TB)]. We observed that total lung resistance (RL) was significantly higher in BPD (11 +/- 3 cmH2O/L/s), and in PT (9 +/- 2) than in TB [5 +/- 1; (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively)]. ⋯ Exercise tests were performed in six boys with BPD. The ratio between minute ventilation at maximal workload (VEmax) and the predicted value of maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV) was elevated in the six BPD boys tested, compared with five boys of Group 2 and five TB boys (87 +/- 15% vs. 62 +/- 14% and 65 +/- 13%) (P < 0.05). We conclude that: 1) prematurity and BPD is followed by long-term airway obstruction and a mild degree of exercise intolerance and; 2) premature birth without BPD may be followed by a milder degree of airway obstruction in childhood than in infants who developed BPD during the neonatal period.
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Pediatric pulmonology · Nov 1995
Editorial CommentBronchopulmonary dysplasia and family history of asthma.