Associação do baixo peso ao nascer e função pulmonar em adolescentes de uma coorte de nascimentos

Abstract

Introduction. The influence of birth weight on the appearance of diseases at other stages of life has not yet been fully clarified, but it is strongly associated with the theory of the developmental origins of health and disease. Lung function in low birth weight infants was impaired, with persistent damage in other stages of life, such as adolescence. Objective. To investigate the association of low birth weight with lung function. Material and methods. In the first article, an integrative review was carried out through a search in Scopus, PubMed, SciELO and Lilacs electronic databases from May to June 2020. Articles in all languages were selected, without filtering the year of publication, which evaluated lung function through spirometry in children and adolescents with low birth weight. A total of 64 articles were found, 18 of which were included in the review study. The second article is an analytical, longitudinal study, based on a birth cohort study. The pulmonary function of 650 adolescents (18 and 19 years old) was evaluated through spirometry. To verify the association between the categorical variables, the chi-square test of independence was used, considering a significance level of 5%. Were calculated prevalence ratios and 95% confidence interval. Spirometric values were analyzed in relation to sex, birth weight, economic classification, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption pattern, body mass index, rhinitis and asthma. Results. In the review article, the first article, the studies showed that low birth weight seems to negatively influence lung function in children and adolescents, and the effects of this impairment can be long-lasting and persist for other stages of life. In the second article, which evaluated the values of individuals, the mean forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of the FVC (FEF25-75%) presented an inappropriate value in 61.2% of the adolescents evaluated. Gender, economic classification, physical activity, alcohol consumption, body mass index, rhinitis and asthma were the variables that were associated with at least one of the spirometric values evaluated. Low birth weight and smoking had no significant effects on spirometric values. Conclusion. There are conflicting results described in the literature on the influence of birth weight on lung function in adolescents. In the review article, this association seems to be clear, but the same relationship was not found in the original article. For these facts, it is suggested that further research be continued with the aim of deepening knowledge on the subject.