{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.038600723763570564, 'fraction_numerical': 0.031966224366706875, 'mean_word_length': 4.967625899280575, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 1, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Pulmonary function in children with initial low birth weight

The objective of this analysis was to examine the effect of low birth weight and prematurity on bronchial air‐flow, bronchial reactivity, airway symptoms and asthma diagnosis at school age. A cross‐sectional epidemiologi‐cal study was performed in three small towns in the eastern part of Germany on 2470 school children aged 5–14 (89.1% of eligible children). A 78 item questionnaire to determine risk factors at birth and in early childhood was employed. 7.8% of the children were born before completing 38 gesta‐tional weeks; 6.6% had a birth weight less than 2500 g. Pulmonary function analysis were done by a mobile plethysmography at the school. There were only weak restrictions in lung volume in term low birth weight (LBW) children (100 ml lower TLC, p = 0.107), and flow (257 ml lower PEFR, p=0.108), were low. However, bronchial hyper‐responsiveness indicated by 292 ml lower FEV1.0 after cold air bronchial provocation, was significantly increased compared to term normal birth weight children (p < 0.001). The effect of LBW was less in older children, only slightly stronger in girls and increased in children mechanically ventilated during the postnatal period. Correspondingly, there was a higher prevalence of diagnosed asthma in term LBW children (OR 1.6, 95%‐confidence interval 1.0–2.6), however these were without an increased risk for any allergic sensitization. LBW, therefore, seems to be a risk factor for smaller lungs and hyperreactive airways primarily in term born children, whereas in pre‐term children the immature bronchial system seems to be recover by school age.