Impact of Low Birth Weight on Early Childhood Asthma in the United States

Abstract

These data confirm findings of other studies that identify a strong independent association between low birth weight and asthma. For this 1988 national birth cohort, an estimated 4000 excess asthma cases were attributable to birth weight less than 2500 g. Although the strength of the independent association between VLBW and asthma was smaller in the African American population, the substantially increased prevalence of VLBW in this community may contribute to the disproportionately increased prevalence of asthma among African American children.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Asthma in School Going Children in South India

“…In the 1970 British Cohort Study, low birth weight was associated with asthma at 5 years but not after 16 years. Other studies have also reported a high prevalence of asthma among children born LBW 25 . The reason could be multifactorial such as prematurity, invasive lung ventilation during neonatal period and recurrent respiratory illness during early childhood 26,27,28 .…”

Applying epidemiologic concepts of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention to the elimination of racial disparities in asthma

“…Results of 2 different analyses found that low birth weight accounted for 30% to 68% of the racial differences in asthma observed in the populations studied. 40,41 Residential segregation has the potential to shape socioeconomic conditions that can influence the risk of asthma development, including community-level and individual-level exposures. 42-44 Outdoor pollution has not been associated consistently with incident asthma, although it has been associated with increased symptoms among prevalent cases and is more often a problem in areas where people of less means reside.…”

DNA Methylation Changes in theIGF1RGene in Birth Weight Discordant Adult Monozygotic Twins

“…LBW is defined as birth weight lower than 2,500 grams in singleton births (World Health Organization, 1992). Studies have linked LBW to childhood mortality (McCormick, 1985), morbidity (Wu et al, 2011), and childhood asthma (Brooks et al, 2001). LBW is also associated with disorders progressing into adulthood, such as metabolic syndrome (Fagerberg et al, 2004), type 2 diabetes (Johansson et al, 2008), cardiovascular diseases (Leeson et al, 2001), respiratory diseases (Walter et al, 2009), and depression (Thompson et al, 2001).…”