No abstract

The further development of newborns with meconium aspiration (MA) has been studied retrospectively by various investigators. However, results are inconsistent (2, 3, 5, 6). In the present study 25 children with MA were investigated in the age of 1 to 11 years. The parents answered a questionnaire, the children were examined physically. All the 11 children older than 5 years were subjected to spirometry, bodyplethysmography, and a histamine provocation test. An age matched control group of 28 children was investigated in the same way. No differences were found between children with MA and the control group concerning history and physical examination. Only the symptom "cough without cold" was found significantly more frequently in preschool children (1 to 5 years) with MA as compared to control children (p < 0.01). However, none of the parameters of lung function testing revealed any difference between the two groups. Also, the medians of the histamine thresholds in both samples were normal and did not differ. In summary, in a group of 25 children with MA, when compared to children without MA, only the symptom "cough without cold" was found significantly more frequently during preschool age. No evidence of long term pulmonary sequalae was seen in children with MA.