Birth Weight, Gestational Age, Fetal Growth and Childhood Asthma Hospitalization
Childhood asthma may have a fetal origin through factors affecting fetal development of the immunocompetence or respiratory organs. We examined to which extent short gestational age, low birth weight and fetal growth restriction were associated with an increased risk of asthma hospitalization in childhood.
METHODS:
We undertook a cohort study based on several national registers in Denmark, Sweden and Finland. We included all live singleton born children in Denmark during 1979-2005 (N=1,538,093), in Sweden during 1973-2004 (N=3,067,670), and a 90% random sample of singleton children born in Finland during 1987-2004 (N=1,050,744). The children were followed from birth to first hospitalization for asthma, emigration, death, their 18th birthday, or the end of study (the end of 2008 in Denmark, and the end of 2007 in Sweden or Finland), whichever came first. We computed the pseudo-values for each observation and used them in the generalized estimating equation to estimate relative risks (RR) for asthma hospitalization.
RESULTS:
A total of 131,783 children were hospitalized for asthma during follow-up. The risk for asthma hospitalization consistently increased with decreasing birth weight and gestational age. A 1000-g decrease in birth weight corresponded to a RR of 1.19 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.18-1.20). A one-week decrease in gestational age corresponded to a RR of 1.05 (95% CI 1.04-1.06). Small for gestational age was associated with a moderately increased risk of asthma hospitalization (RR 1.23, 95% CI 1.20-1.27).
CONCLUSIONS: Fetal growth and gestational age may play a direct or indirect causal role in the development of childhood asthma.