Abstrakt

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), the chronic lung disease of prematurity, may be associated with long-term airflow limitation. Prematurely born children, especially those who had BPD, are more likely to suffer frequent troublesome symptoms during school age and in adolescence than term-born controls. 50% of BPD infants require readmission to hospital during infancy, particularly if they suffer from RSV infection. Symptoms resembling those of asthma and spirometric evidence of airflow limitation are often imprecisely labelled as asthma. Such children are frequently treated with inhaled corticosteroids, even though there is no evidence to support this practice. The use of inhaled corticosteroids in children with established BPD has neither reduced the incidence of symptoms nor improved the outcome. Children with asthma and BPD share some clinical characteristics, but available evidence suggests that the two obstructive lung diseases do not have the same pathophysiology. In conclusion, the term “asthma” should be used with caution because asthma and BPD are two separate clinical entities – some symptoms overlap, but the causal mechanisms, risk factors, responses to treatment and natural course are different.

Autoreninformation

Autoren

• N. Schwerk
• G. Hansen

Abteilungen

• Abteilung I, Pädiatrische Pneumologie und Neonatologie, Zentrum für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover

Adresse

Dr. med. N. Schwerk
Abteilung I, Pädiatrische Pneumologie und Neonatologie
Zentrum für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin
Medizinische Hochschule Hannover
Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, D-30625 Hannover
Email: [email protected]

Citation