Breast feeding and respiratory morbidity in infancy: a birth cohort study

Abstract

Aim: To examine the relation between the duration of breast feeding and morbidity as a result of respiratory illness and infection in the first year of life. Methods: Prospective birth cohort study of 2602 live born children ascertained through antenatal clinics at the major tertiary obstetric hospital in Perth, Western Australia. Main outcome measures were hospital, doctor, or clinic visits, and hospital admissions for respiratory illness and infection in the first year of life. Main exposure measures were the duration of predominant breast feeding (defined as the age other milk was introduced) and partial (any) breast feeding (defined as the age breast feeding was stopped). Main confounders were gender, gestational age less than 37 weeks, smoking in pregnancy, older siblings, maternal education, and maternal age. Results: Hospital, doctor, or clinic visits for four or more upper respiratory tract infections were significantly greater if predominant breast feeding was stopped before 2 months or partial breast feeding was stopped before 6 months. Predominant breast feeding for less than six months was associated with an increased risk for two or more hospital, doctor, or clinic visits and hospital admission for wheezing lower respiratory illness. Breast feeding for less than eight months was associated with a significantly increased risk for two or more hospital, doctor, or clinic visits or hospital admissions because of wheezing lower respiratory illnesses. Conclusions: Predominant breast feeding for at least six months and partial breast feeding for up to one year may reduce the prevalence and subsequent morbidity of respiratory illness and infection in infancy. Breast feeding is clearly an issue for public health consideration as it provides significant protection against infections in newborns and infants.1 2 Because breast feeding has been shown to protect against infections so profoundly in developing countries, it is estimated that an increase in breast feeding worldwide by 40% would reduce deaths from respiratory infection by 50% in children less than 18 months of age. 3Although breast feeding is associated with lower rates of both morbidity and mortality in the developing world, 2 4 5 evidence in the developed world has been and remains more controversial.6 7 Yet, recent investigations show that respiratory tract infections [8][9][10][11][12] and asthma 13 14 are reduced in breast fed infants. On the other hand inverse relationships with breast feeding and health outcomes have been reported.Respiratory infections and illness may be a risk factor for asthma in children 15 and their associated effects in relation to infant feeding need to be elucidated further. The effect of different feeding regimes was investigated in relation to respiratory infections and illness in a prospective birth cohort and following careful assessment of outcomes and exposures. We aimed to document the association of duration of predominant feeding and duration of any breast feeding with respiratory illness and infection morbidi...

Prejuízo no crescimento de crianças com diferentes tipos de fissura lábio-palatina nos 2 primeiros anos de idade: um estudo transversal

“…[24][25][26] Receiving maternal milk becomes important not only in the nutritional context, but also in terms of preventing both respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. 27,28 Thus, children with ICL may show a more satisfactory course of weight and length growth than those with other types of clefts. More marked impairment in growth was observed for boys and girls with ICP and for the CL+P groups, as demonstrated by the higher proportion of children in these groups presenting weight and length below the 10th percentile of the NCHS reference.…”

Elementos protetores do leite materno na prevenção de doenças gastrintestinais e respiratórias

“…Quando predominante por pelo menos seis meses e até um ano de idade também pode reduzir a prevalência de infecções respirató-rias na infância 47,48 . O leite materno é capaz de reduzir a exposição e a absorção intestinal de alergênicos responsáveis por doenças respiratórias 49,50 .…”

“…O aleitamento materno também diminui a involução da glândula do timo durante a infância 60 , o que consequentemente estimula os efeitos das células T, protegendo o lactente de doenças respiratórias 48 .…”

Breastfeeding and the Risk of Childhood Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…Indeed, breastfeeding affects cancer, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease, in addition to reducing episodes of diarrhea, decreasing the incidence of infections (enteric, otitis media, and respiratory infections) and eczema (Oddy et al, 2003;Paramasivam et al, 2006;Das, 2007;Ip et al, 2007;Hosea Blewett et al, 2008;Monterrosa et al, 2008;Rosenbauer et al, 2008;Ladomenou et al, 2010). Some epidemiologic studies during the last 3 decades have focused on the association between breastfeeding and the risk of childhood Hodgkin lymphoma.…”