Preterm birth linked to emphysema

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A lung disease often seen in preemies can predispose them to emphysema later in life, Australian researchers report in the European Respiratory Journal.

The disease, known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), affects up to one third of preterm infants and can cause lung problems that persist into childhood, Dr. Daniel C. Chambers and co-authors note. The effects on adult survivors, however, have been unknown.

To further investigate, Chambers at Brisbane's Prince Charles Hospital in Queensland and his team identified 21 subjects who were born prematurely in Western Australia in the 1980s and who required supplemental oxygen for BPD.

When examined at around 19 years of age, 15 subjects (71 percent) had persistent breathing problems, including wheeze, cough, and shortness of breath.

Only three subjects had normal lung function on standard tests, the authors note. Lung abnormalities were seen in the 19 subjects who were evaluated on CT imaging, including 16 with emphysema.

As technological advances increase survival of preterm babies, Chambers and his associates write, more and more adults are likely to have BPD-related lung disease. In seeing adults with lung disease, doctors should ask them specifically about their birth status.

SOURCE: European Respiratory Journal, August 2008.