Development of airway function in infancy after preterm delivery.

Objective: To assess airway function at 1 year and compare this with similar measurements made shortly after birth in preterm infants without clinical neonatal respiratory disease.

Study Design: Infants born at
Results: V'(maxFRC) was within normal range for all infants shortly after birth (mean +/- SD Z score: -0.06 +/- 0.92). By 1 year, Z scores had reduced significantly [mean (95% CI) 2nd-1st test: -1.94 (-2.27, -1.60)]. V'(maxFRC )Z scores at 3 weeks were highly correlated with those at 1 year of age (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.64).

Conclusions: Airway function during the first year shows considerable tracking. Even in the absence of neonatal respiratory disease, preterm delivery is associated with altered airway development during early infancy.