July 7th, 2008
Infant Lung Function Linked to Later Asthma
By Michael Smith, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
October 18, 2006
OSLO, Norway, Oct. 18 -- Poor lung function at birth is associated with the later development of asthma, according to researchers here.
A prospective cohort study involving more than 650 healthy infants suggests that "alterations of airway function associated with later asthma may be present and detectable a few days after birth," reported Geir Håland, M.D., of the UllevålUniversityHospital here in the Oct. 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Source reference:
Håland G et al. "Reduced Lung Function at Birth and the Risk of Asthma at 10 Years of Age." N Engl J Med 2006;355:1682-9.
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