Acute respiratory symptoms and general illness during the first year of life: A population‐based birth cohort study

Abstract

Respiratory symptoms are common in infancy. Most illnesses occurring among children are dealt with by parents and do not require medical attention. Nevertheless, few studies have prospectively and on a community-basis assessed the amount of respiratory symptoms and general illness in normal infants. In this population-based birth cohort study, 228 healthy infants from Copenhagen, Denmark were followed from birth to 1 year of age during 2004-2006. Symptoms were registered using daily diaries and monthly home visits. Interviews were performed at inclusion and every second month. Risk factor analysis was carried out by multiple logistic regression analysis. On average, children had general symptoms for 3.5 months during their first year of life, nasal discharge being most frequent followed by cough. Frequency of all symptoms increased steeply after 6 months of age. Each child had on average 6.3 episodes (median: 5.1, inter-quartile range (IQR): 3.3-7.8) of acute respiratory tract illness (ARTI) (nasal discharge and > or = 1 of the following symptoms: cough, fever, wheezing, tachypnea, malaise, or lost appetite) and 5.6 episodes (median: 4.3, IQR: 2.1-7.3) of simple rhinitis per 365 days at risk. Determinants for respiratory symptoms were increasing age, winter season, household size, size of residence, day-care attendance, and having siblings aged 1-3 years attending a day nursery. In conclusion, the present study provides detailed data on the occurrence of disease symptoms during the first year of life in a general population cohort and emphasizes the impact of increasing age, seasonality, and living conditions on the occurrence of ARTI.

Respiratory Tract Illnesses During the First Year of Life: Effect of Dog and Cat Contacts

“…First, the different types of pet animals have not been evaluated separately in the analyses. 5,16,20,21,28 Second, some studies enrolled older children. For example, Burr et al 16 found that pet ownership increased the risk of wheezing, rhinitis, and the number of cold episodes per year for 12-to 14-year-olds.…”

“…[1][2][3] In previous reports, the frequency of respiratory tract infections has been estimated to vary between 3 and 6 episodes within the first year of life. [4][5][6] A variety of factors, such as day care attendance, 7,8 older siblings 7,9,10 and lack of breastfeeding, [10][11][12] have been considered as possible risk factors for early respiratory tract infections. In addition, a parental history of asthma 13,14 and smoking 10,[15][16][17][18] are thought to have a role in the child' s susceptibility to infections and to respiratory symptoms.…”

Subjective and objective parameters in paediatric respiratory conditions: cultural adaptation to Portuguese population

“…Parents make a considerable use of healthcare services to cope with ARI, thus becoming a burden for children and their families (1,4). Furthermore, ARI are the main cause of worldwide morbidity, leading to school and work absenteeism (5).…”

Biofilms in pediatric respiratory and related infections

“…Respiratory infections are common in all pediatric age groups, including the youngest patients. For example, a population-based survey reported that healthy infants experienced acute respiratory symptoms for an average of 3.5 months during their fi rst year of life, with the average infant experiencing six episodes of acute respiratory illness and six episodes of simple rhinitis during that year [2]. Furthermore, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reported that allergy is the third most common chronic disease in children [3], and children with allergies are predisposed to developing upper respiratory tract infections, rhinosinusitis, and OM [4].…”