Perinatal Factors and Postnatal Growth Trajectories as Determinants of School-Age Pulmonary Function in Preterm Infants

Purpose: This study investigated the associations between early-life perinatal risk factors, postnatal weight-growth trajectories, and pulmonary function at early school age in children born very preterm.Methods: This longitudinal cohort study included 72 children born before 30 weeks of gestation or with a birth weight below 1,250 g who completed spirometry at 6–7 years of age. Multiple linear and logistic regression analyses (n=69) were performed to examine the associations of gestational age, sex, birth weight z-score, antenatal corticosteroid exposure, Jensen 2019 bronchopulmonary dysplasia severity grade as an adjustment covariate, and two postnatal weight z-score change variables (birth to 36 weeks postmenstrual age [PMA], and 36 weeks PMA to the time of pulmonary function test [PFT]) with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) z-score and FEV₁/forced vital capacity (FVC) z-score.Results: Lower gestational age (β=0.18, P=0.026), male sex (β=−0.57, P=0.038), lower birth weight z-score (β=0.48, P