Children with Asthma Have Fixed Airway Obstruction through Childhood Unaffected by Exacerbations
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Background: Children with asthma may have a disease course with or without exacerbations, but the relationship between exacerbations and lung function development is poorly understood. Objective: To compare lung function trajectories from birth till adolescence in asthmatic children with and without exacerbations. Methods: Children with asthma from the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood2000 (COPSAC2000) birth cohort had lung function and bronchial reactivity assessed repeatedly from 1 month to 13 years. Exacerbations were diagnosed at the COPSAC clinic defined as symptoms requiring hospitalization, oral or high-dose inhaled corticosteroid treatment. Mixed models were applied to analyze lung function trajectories. Results: Children with asthma with exacerbations (N = 50) had a trajectory of increased, fixed airway obstruction compared with children without exacerbations (N = 47): z-score difference in airway resistance (sRawz) (95% confidence interval [CI]): +0.34 (+0.03; +0.66), P = .03, and maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEFz): −0.41 (−0.69; −0.13), P = .004, but no differences in forced expiratory volume (FEVz): −0.14 (−0.41; +0.13), P = .29, or bronchial reactivity to methacholine (PDz): +0.08 (−0.26; +0.42), P = .65. This did not change comparing lung function trajectories before and after exacerbations: z-score difference (95% CI) sRawz: −0.04 (−0.35; 0.27), P = .80; MMEFz: 0.01 (−0.02; 0.04), P = .55; FEVz: 0.02 (−0.02; 0.05), P = .42; and PDz: −0.01 (−0.06; 0.05), P = .88. Conclusion: Children with asthma with exacerbations compared with children with asthma without exacerbations are characterized by increased airway obstruction since infancy through childhood. The airway obstruction is a fixed trajectory without progression due to exacerbations, suggesting that exacerbations are a consequence rather than a cause of diminished airway caliber in childhood.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 4 |
Pages (from-to) | 1263-1271 |
ISSN | 2213-2198 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2020 |
- Asthma, Birth cohort, Bronchial reactivity, Exacerbation, Lung function
Research areas
ID: 234936431