RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Lung structure and function of infants with recurrent wheeze when asymptomatic
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP 107
OP 112
DO 10.1183/09031936.00106607
VO 33
IS 1
A1 C. J. Llapur
A1 T. M. Martínez
A1 C. Coates
A1 C. Tiller
A1 J. L. Wiebke
A1 X. Li
A1 K. Applegate
A1 H. O. Coxson
A1 R. S. Tepper
YR 2009
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/33/1/107.abstract
AB Infants with recurrent wheeze have repeated episodes of airways obstruction; however, relatively little is known about the structure and function of their lungs when not symptomatic. The current authors evaluated whether infants with recurrent wheeze have smaller airway lumens or thickened airway walls, as well as decreased airway function. High-resolution computed tomography images 1 mm thick were obtained at three anatomic locations at an elevated lung volume and at functional residual capacity. Forced expiratory flows were also measured in subjects with recurrent wheeze. Airway lumen, wall areas and lung tissue density were not significantly different for recurrent wheeze (n = 17) and control (n = 14) subjects; however, subjects with recurrent wheeze had lower forced expiratory flows than predicted. Similar findings were obtained when subjects were grouped by exposure to tobacco smoke. These findings indicate that infants with recurrent wheeze, as well as exposure to tobacco smoke, have lower airway function when not symptomatic. The lower forced expiratory flows may result from a degree of airway narrowing that could not be resolved with the methodology employed or from other mechanisms, such as more collapsible airways or decreased pulmonary elastic recoil.