title: School-age children enjoyed good respiratory health and fewer allergies despite having lung disease after preterm birth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study explored the under-researched area of whether preterm birth or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) affected hospitalisation rates, allergies or health-related quality of life (HRQoL).
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 88 schoolchildren born preterm at a mean gestational age of 28.8 weeks (range 24.1-31.9) and matched term-born controls at the mean age of 11 years (range 8-14). Hospitalisations after the first discharge were recorded, skin prick allergy tests were performed and HRQoL was assessed with a parental questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Preterm children were hospitalised more than controls (64% versus 39%, p = 0.001), mostly before two years of age. The adjusted odds ratios (OR) for two-year-old preterm-born children being hospitalised for wheezing was 8.2 (95% CI 2.0-34.1). BPD affected 56% of the preterm children, but did not influence hospitalisations, and the positive skin prick rate was similar between the preterm and term-born children (35% versus 48%, p = 0.126). Preterm BPD children had fewer positive skin prick tests than those without BPD. HRQoL was lower in preterm than term children (81.25 ± 10.84 versus 86.80 ± 9.60, p = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most health problems experienced by preterm-born schoolchildren occurred before two years of age and were mainly wheezing disorders. BPD decreased atopy but had no influence on hospitalisation rates.
authors.affiliation: PEDEGO Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu and Department of Children and Adolescents, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. eveliina.ronkainen@oulu.fi.
authors.forename: Eveliina
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4742-0710
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ronkainen
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatal Medicine, Department of Children and Adolescents, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Tuula
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaukola
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatal Medicine, Department of Children and Adolescents, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Riitta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marttila
authors.affiliation: PEDEGO Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu and Department of Children and Adolescents, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.|Division of Neonatal Medicine, Department of Children and Adolescents, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Mikko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hallman
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergology and Pulmonology, Department of Children and Adolescents, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Teija
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dunder
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001997:Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia / Q000150:complications*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012882:Skin Tests / Q000379:methods; D013995:Time
keywords: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia; health-related quality of life; hospitalisation; premature infant; wheezing