Abstract

Background: In children with asthma, pulmonary function is not completely reversible and may persist until adulthood. In this study, the effects of sex, atopic status, and asthma severity were examined in relation to adults' impaired pulmonary function. Although results in young adults are little characterized, hospitalization for bronchiolitis is a risk factor for asthma and reduced lung function in children.

Methods: In a rural area, a cross-sectional survey of 1492 persons who were 18 years of age or older was carried out. Measurements were made of atopy, height, weight, waist circumference (WC), and pulmonary function.Participants who indicated on the questionnaire that they had ever had asthma had their condition previously been diagnosed by a doctor. Participants who reported having asthma more than a year ago were those who said they experienced asthma in the past (alone). Those participants who stated they experienced asthma during the past year were considered recent asthmatics.In this Norwegian cohort study, 167 matched control patients and 225 young adults hospitalised for infantile bronchiolitis between 1996 and 2001 were enrolled. Asthma questionnaires, lung function tests, and atopy examinations were all part of the follow-up. Mixed effects regressions were used to analyse the results.

Result: Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) values were higher in males than in women, but the ratio of FEV1/FVC did not differ significantly between the sexes. The average values of the pulmonary function testing variables were nearly the same for non-atopic and atopic people, indicating that atopic status was not connected to pulmonary function. Atopy and asthma did not interact in a statistically significant way.

Conclusion: Adults who reported having recent or past asthma showed diminished lung function; however, sex but not atopic status significantly altered this. In comparison to control participants, young adults hospitalized for bronchiolitis exhibited a higher prevalence of asthma but not atopy, and a more obstructive pattern of lung function.There was no difference in the prevalence of asthma between the sexes following RSV bronchiolitis and non-RSV bronchiolitis. Infantile bronchiolitis is linked to respiratory illness that lasts into early adulthood.