Abstract
Introduction: The exposure of foetus to tobacco during pregnancy, in otherwise healthy infants born at term, is associated to lower expiratory flows as measured both by means of the rapid thoracoabdominal compression technique (RTC) and by the raised-volume rapid thoracoabdominal compression technique (RVRTC). The aim of the present study is to measure lung function by RVRTC in healthy infants born preterm exposed or non-exposed to tobacco in pregnancy.
Methods: Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory flows at 50%, 75%, 85% 25-75% of FVC (FEF50, FEF75, FEF85, FEF25-75) and forced expiratory flow at 0.5 sec (FEV0.5), were obtained by RVRTC in 44 healthy infants born preterm (26 males), without neonatal respiratory distress. A multivariate linear regression analysis adjusted for gender, gestational age, corrected age, length and prenatal tobacco exposure, was performed.
Results:
Table 1
Table 2. Multivariate regression coefficients of lung function parameters of infants born preterm exposed to tobacco in pregnancy
Conclusions: In infants born preterm, at a corrected age of ∼7 months, prenatal tobacco exposure is significantly associated to a lower FVC, but does not change forced expiratory flows.
- © 2011 ERS
