Sex differences in lung function of adolescents or young adults born prematurely or of very low birth weight: a systematic review.

Introduction: Prematurely born males compared to females have greater respiratory morbidiy in childhood, but differences in adolescents and young adults are less clear.

Content: A systematic review was undertaken to determine if there were sex differences in the lung function of prematurely born or very low birth weight born adolescents and adults.

Summary: Seven of 1969 studies were included (766 infants). Three found no significant differences, but did not give raw lung function data. Four studies reported lung function data by sex. One found no significant differences and another only reported results for females, which were not lower than the controls. Another found males compared to females aged 16-19 years had lung function z scores indicating a more obstructive pattern [p<0.05]. The males, however, had significantly better exercise tolerance. The fourth reported worse lung function only in preterm born adult males.

Outlook: Male compared to female individuals born prematurely had worse lung function in adulthood, but only in two of seven studies, both reported results from patients born in the era of routine surfactant use. Further research is required to more robustly determine the effect of sex on lung function in adults born prematurely.