Low birth weight and breathing problems

Those born with low birth weight are more prone to be hospitalised for breathing disorders than those without such a history.

Children who had low weight at birth have been known to have abnormal lung function, but it has been unclear whether those effects linger till adulthood.

To confirm if a history of low birth weight is associated with respiratory illness in adulthood, researchers from America identified 4,674 people hospitalised for a respiratory illness between the ages of 18 and 27 years, and nearly 18,445 age-matched people who served as the control group.

After adjusting for socio-demographics, the risks of hospitalisation for breathing problems were found to be significantly higher, compared with those born with normal birth weight, for those with moderately low birth weight (from 1.5 upto 2.5 kg) and for those with very low birth weight (< 1.5 kg).

Those born with moderately low birth weight were about 30 percent more likely to be hospitalized for breathing problems, while those born with very low birth weight were 80 percent more likely to be hospitalised. Asthma, lung infections such as pneumonia, and lung failure were more likely in those who had low birth weight or very low birth weight.