▲Professor Jinho Yu is providing treatment to a pediatric patient with asthma.

A team led by Professor Jinho Yu from the Department of Pediatrics at Asan Medical Center recently discovered that fetal growth has a more significant impact on lung function in children with asthma than premature birth. They achieved this by analyzing the interrelationship between current lung function and birth weight or prematurity.

The research team, centered around the Korean Childhood Asthma Research Group of the Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease, established a cohort of childhood asthma patients aged 5 to 15 who were receiving treatment at 19 hospitals in South Korea. In total, 566 domestic childhood asthma patients were included in the study.

The patients' current lung function was assessed using lung test results, including FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second), which measures the volume of air exhaled in the first second during forced exhalation, and FVC (forced vital capacity), which measures the maximum amount of air that can be exhaled from the lungs after taking the deepest possible breath.

The 566 patients were divided into two groups: preterm infants with a gestational age at birth (GA) of less than 37 weeks and those born at full-term GA. The average FEV1 and FVC for preterm infants were 92.2% and 99.8%, respectively, while the averages for full-term infants were 92.3% and 97.8%, respectively. This revealed minimal differences in lung function indicators based on the presence of prematurity.

The results indicated that, on average, FEV1 values were 94.6%, 90.9%, and 86.4%, while FVC values were 101.8%, 97.2%, and 94.3%, respectively. These findings confirmed that lower birth weight was associated with a greater decrease in lung function.

Professor Jinho Yu said, "We will continue our research on childhood asthma, including the possibility of lung function improvement through respiratory rehabilitation, to help patients lead a healthier daily life."

The research findings were recently published in 'Respirology,' an international academic journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.