title: Asthma and atopic dermatitis in children born moderately and late preterm.
abstract: This national register study aimed to evaluate the need of asthma medication reimbursement and hospitalization due to asthma and atopic dermatitis up to 7 years of age in moderately preterm (MP) (32-33 weeks) and late preterm (LP) (34-36 weeks) children compared to very preterm (VP) (<32 weeks) and term (≥37 weeks) children. Altogether, 1,018,302 children born in Finland between 1991 and 2008 were assessed. The MP and LP groups received asthma medication reimbursement more frequently than term controls (8.0 and 5.7 vs. 3.8 %), but less frequently than VP children (15.4 %). Hospitalization due to asthma was more common among MP (10.6 %) and LP (7.3 %) children than term children (4.8 %) but less common than in VP children (20.1 %). Hospitalization due to atopic dermatitis was more frequent among term (5.2 %) compared to MP (4.2 %) and LP (4.7 %) children. Male sex, maternal smoking, maternal diabetes, and ventilator therapy predicted asthma medication in the MP and/or LP children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MP and LP children seem to need medication and hospitalization for asthma more often than term controls but less frequently than VP children followed by 7 years of age. Hospitalization due to atopic dermatitis becomes more common with increasing gestational age.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  • MP and LP infants have an increased risk for early respiratory morbidity and to asthma. • Less is known on the occurrence of atopic dermatitis in this patient group. What is New: • Medication and hospital care due to asthma were more frequent in school-aged MP and LP than in term infants. Male sex, maternal smoking, maternal diabetes and ventilator therapy predicted asthma. • Hospitalization due to atopic dermatitis became more common with increasing gestational age.
authors.affiliation: Pirkanmaa Hospital District, Department of Pediatrics, Tampere University Hospital, PL 2000, 33520, Tampere, Finland. paula.haataja@pshp.fi.|Tampere Center for Child Health Research, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland. paula.haataja@pshp.fi.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Haataja
authors.affiliation: Pirkanmaa Hospital District, Department of Pediatrics, Tampere University Hospital, PL 2000, 33520, Tampere, Finland.|Tampere Center for Child Health Research, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Päivi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Korhonen
authors.affiliation: Pirkanmaa Hospital District, Department of Pediatrics, Tampere University Hospital, PL 2000, 33520, Tampere, Finland.|Tampere Center for Child Health Research, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Riitta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ojala
authors.affiliation: Pirkanmaa Hospital District, Department of Pediatrics, Tampere University Hospital, PL 2000, 33520, Tampere, Finland.|Tampere Center for Child Health Research, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.|Central Finland Health Care District, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Mikko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirvonen
authors.affiliation: Allergy Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Marita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paassilta
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gissler
authors.affiliation: Science Center, Pirkanmaa Hospital District and School of Health Sciences, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Tiina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Luukkaala
authors.affiliation: Pirkanmaa Hospital District, Department of Pediatrics, Tampere University Hospital, PL 2000, 33520, Tampere, Finland.|Tampere Center for Child Health Research, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Outi
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tammela
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005865:Gestational Age; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000191:economics*; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Asthma; Atopic dermatitis; Late preterm; Moderately preterm; Preterm