Risk factors for early wheezing in preterm infants: a retrospective cohort study

Xun Chen¹Minjing Yang²Jun Xie¹Shengzhu Huang³Xiaolian Qin⁴Zhijian Pan⁵Maoling Zhu⁶Dingyuan Zeng⁷Yifeng Huang⁸Tao Liang⁹Chunmei Liang¹⁰Guangmin Nong^1*

• ¹Department of Pediatrics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Region, China
• ²Department of Pediatrics, the First People's Hospital of Yulin, Yulin, China
• ³Research Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangx, China
• ⁴Department of Medical Services Section, Maternal & Child Health Hospital of Yulin, Yulin, China
• ⁵Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Maternal & Child Health Hospital of Qinzhou, Qinzhou, China
• ⁶Department of Obstetrics, Maternal & Child Health Hospital of Nanning, Nanning, China
• ⁷Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Maternal & Child Health Hospital of Liuzhou, Liuzhou, China
• ⁸Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Maternal & Child Health Hospital of Guigang, Guigang, China
• ⁹Department of Pediatrics, Maternal & Child Health Hospital of Wuzhou, Wuzhou, China
• ¹⁰Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Maternal & Child Health Hospital of Yuzhou, Yulin, Yulin, China

The related factors that cause recurrent wheezing in children are complex, and premature delivery may be one of the reasons. Little is known aboutearly wheezing in preterm infants.Methods: Data sourced from 1616 children born between 2007 and 2013 from 8 hospitals of Guangxi in China. All children were followed by telephone or questionnaire through the sixth year of life. Children were grouped by characters of age: Group A: gestational age (GA) ≤ 32 weeks, Group B: 32 weeks < GA < 37 weeks, Group C: 37 weeks ≤ GA < 42 weeks.The incidence and the risk factors of early wheezing in preterm infants were analyzed. The incidence of early wheezing: Group A > Group B > Group C. In Group A, the proportion of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant was higher in early wheezing group than in normal group (P ＜0.05). Male (95% CI: 1.611 to 4.601) and family history of allergy (95% CI: 1.222 to 3.411) were the risk factors for early wheezing in Group B.Conclusions: Lower gestational age is associated with higher wheezing risk. Preterm infants have higher persistent wheezing incidence than full-term infants. Preterm infants with gestational age <32 weeks have higher transient wheezing incidence than those with gestational age 32-37 weeks or full-term infants. In preterm infants <32 weeks, small for gestational age (SGA) is a potential factor for wheezing. In preterm infants aged 32-37 weeks, male sex, personal allergy history, and family allergy history are potential factors for wheezing, with male sex and family allergy history being significant risk factors.