Persistence of upper respiratory tract infections in a cohort followed from childhood to adulthood.
OBJECTIVE
To assess (1) prevalences of recurrent URTIs (rURTIs) and relapsing/persistent rURTIs and associated medical consumption between 0 and 21 years of age and (2) whether rURTIs experienced in early life predispose to upper airway disease later in life.


METHODS
A cohort of all children born in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, between September 1982 and September 1983, was assessed repeatedly from 2 to 21 years of age with questionnaires regarding infections of the upper respiratory tract (URTIs), use of antibiotics, ENT operations and known risk factors for URTIs.


RESULTS
One hundred and sixty-one of the 693 cohort member (23%) suffered from relapsing rURTIs between 0 and 21 years of age, whereas only 7 (1%) suffered from persistent rURTIs throughout this period. Two hundred and six (30%) had used antibiotics more than once; and 220 (32%) had undergone at least one ENT operation. Of the 166 participants with rURTI between 8 and 21 years, 140 (84%) had had rURTI before.


CONCLUSIONS
rURTIs are highly prevalent throughout early life and associated medical consumption is substantial. The challenge therefore is to develop therapeutic/preventive strategies that will prevent rURTIs in the first years of life.
Rovers
Maroeska M
MM
Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, The Netherlands. M.Rovers@umcutrecht.nl
Balemans
Walter A F
WA
Sanders
Elisabeth A M
EA
van der Ent
Cornelis K
CK
Zielhuis
Gerhard A
GA
Schilder
Anne G M
AG
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents