Low Birthweight Linked to Respiratory Disease in Adulthood

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MedWire News: People with a low birth weight are significantly more likely to be hospitalized for respiratory illnesses in adulthood than those with a normal birth weight, researchers have found.

"Our findings suggest that not only are very low birth weight (VLBW) and moderately low birth weight (MLBW) survivors at increased risk of long-term respiratory disorders, but that these disorders are clinically significant and associated with increased health care utilization," say Eric Walter (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA) and team.

To examine whether the increased childhood risk for respiratory illnesses associated with low birth weight persists into adulthood, the researchers studied hospitalization records from the Washington State Comprehensive Hospital Abstract Reporting System for the period 1998–2007.

Using information from birth certificates, they compared the birth weights of 5419 patients, aged at least 18 years, who were hospitalized for respiratory illnesses during the period studied with those of 21,659 randomly selected controls.

They found that individuals with a VLBW (<1500 g) were 1.83 times more likely to be hospitalized for respiratory illnesses in adulthood than those with a normal birth weight (2500–4000 g), while individuals with a MLBW (1500–2499 g) were 1.34 times more likely to be hospitalized for such illnesses.

Regarding specific respiratory illnesses, individuals with a VLBW were 2.00 times more likely and those with a MLBW 1.39 times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma than individuals with a normal birth weight.

A VLBW was also associated with a 2.0-fold greater risk for hospitalization for respiratory infections and a 2.6-fold greater risk of respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation than a normal birth weight.

The link between lower birth weights and an increased risk of hospitalization for respiratory illnesses in adulthood persisted after adjustment for covariates, including demographic characteristics and maternal smoking.

"We report a previously unrecognized excess risk of hospitalization for respiratory illnesses in young adults with a history of low birth weight," Walter and team conclude in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.