Does Neonatal Airway Colonization Cause Asthma?

Colonization at 1 month was significantly associated with development of persistent wheeze and asthma by age 5.

Some data suggest a relation between early exposure to respiratory pathogens and the development of asthma. Investigators in Copenhagen assessed the relation between neonatal airway colonization with Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis and the development of recurrent wheeze, asthma, and allergy by age 5 in 321 children born to mothers who had asthma. Colonization was determined by culture of the hypopharynx at ages 1 month and 12 months.

At age 1 month, 21% of neonates were colonized with one or more of the three pathogens. Colonization at 1 month (but not at 12 months) was significantly associated with development of persistent wheeze (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.0) and asthma (odds ratio, 4.6) by age 5…

Reviewing Author

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Does Neonatal Airway Colonization Cause Asthma?

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Reviewing Author