PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Maria Vollsaeter AU - Ola Røksund AU - Geir Egil Eide AU - Markestad Trond AU - Thomas Halvorsen TI - Longitudinal development of lung function in extremely preterm infants DP - 2011 Sep 01 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - p1502 VI - 38 IP - Suppl 55 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p1502.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p1502.full SO - Eur Respir J2011 Sep 01; 38 AB - Introduction: With the advent of modern neonatal intensive care, survival after extreme preterm (EP) birth increased considerably. Large cohorts of subjects born EP are now approaching adulthood; their lifelong pulmonary prospects being basically unknown.Aims: To construct spirometric growth curves to early adulthood for subjects born EP.Methods: Two area-based birth-cohorts of subjects born in 1982-85 and 1991-92 at gestational age ≤28 weeks or with birth weight ≤1000 grams (n=81) and individually matched control subjects born at term (n=74) were examined in 2001 and 2009. Paired multiple linear regression models were constructed to assess growth patterns.Results: Most measures of lung function were significantly reduced in subjects born EP over the full study period. Mean growth of FEV1 through puberty was 1.5 liters in both preterm and control subjects, and there was a small but not significant growth from age 18 to 25.View this table:Conclusions: Lung function deficits after EP birth persists to adult life. Growth in lung function was parallel in subjects born EP and at term, and no signs of age related decline was observed at age 25.