Impact of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in adolescents born extremely
preterm: a multicenter cross-sectional study
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of
bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) on adolescents born extremely preterm
(<28 weeks of gestation). Methods: This multicenter
cross‐sectional study included adolescents who were born extremely
preterm between 2003 and 2007. Questionnaires regarding the history of
respiratory symptoms, asthma, quality of life (QOL), and physical growth
were sent to 423 participants by mail, and responses were received from
243 participants (response rate: 57.4%). The average age of the
respondents was 16.5 years. The participants were divided into the BPD
(n = 140) and non-BPD (n = 103) groups. Results: One of three
patients in both groups had been rehospitalized owing to respiratory
symptoms; however, the difference was not significant (odds ratio
[OR], 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56–1.65).
Respiratory syncytial virus infection was the most common reason for
rehospitalization. The prevalence of adolescents with current wheeze
were 4.3% and 2.9% in the BPD and non-BPD groups, respectively;
however, the difference was not significant (OR, 1.49; 95% CI,
0.36–6.11). QOL scores were similar in both groups (71.9 vs. 71.0, p =
0.61). The z-scores for body weight and height were significantly
different (p = 0.01). Conclusion: Adolescents born extremely
prematurely with BPD were smaller physically than those without BPD. No
significant differences in rehospitalization, asthma, and QOL scores
were noted between the two groups. Further studies are needed to
determine the impact of BPD on adults.