Are Babies Born Preterm High-Risk Asthma Candidates?

Overview

Journal J Clin Med

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2023 Aug 26

PMID 37629440

Authors

Carlo Caffarelli

Serena Gracci

Giuliana Gianni

Roberto Bernardini

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Among preterm infants, the risk of developing asthma is a matter of debate. This review discusses the state of the art of poorly understood prematurity-associated asthma. Impaired pulmonary function is common in children born prematurely. Preterm infants are prone to developing viral respiratory tract infections, bronchiolitis in the first year of life, and recurrent viral wheezing in preschool age. All of these conditions may precede asthma development. We also discuss the role of both atopic sensitization and intestinal microbiome and, consequently, immune maturation. Diet and pollution have been considered to better understand how prematurity could be associated with asthma. Understanding the effect of factors involved in asthma onset may pave the way to improve the prediction of this asthma phenotype.

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