Growth rate of lung function in healthy preterm infants.
BACKGROUND
It remains unclear whether premature birth, in the absence of neonatal respiratory disease, results in abnormal growth and development of the lung. We previously reported that a group of healthy infants born at 32-34 weeks' gestation and without respiratory complications had decreased forced expiratory flows and normal forced vital capacities at 2 months of age.


OBJECTIVE
Our current study evaluated whether these healthy infants born prematurely exhibited improvement or "catch-up" in their lung function during the second year of life.


METHODS
Longitudinal measurements of forced expiratory flows by the raised volume rapid thoracic compression technique were obtained in the first and the second years of life for infants born prematurely at 32.7 (range, 30-34) weeks' gestation (n = 26) and infants born at full term (n = 24).


RESULTS
Healthy infants born prematurely demonstrate decreased forced expiratory flows and normal forced vital capacities in the first and second years of life. In addition, the increases in lung function with growth were similar to full-term infants.


CONCLUSIONS
Persistently reduced flows in the presence of normal forced vital capacity and the absence of catch-up growth in airway function suggest that premature birth is associated with altered lung development.
Friedrich
Luciana
L
Department of Pediatrics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Pitrez
Paulo M C
PM
Stein
Renato T
RT
Goldani
Marcelo
M
Tepper
Robert
R
Jones
Marcus H
MH
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005540:Forced Expiratory Flow Rates; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008168:Lung / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D047928:Premature Birth; D014797:Vital Capacity