Lung function evolution in children with old and new type bronchopulmonary dysplasia: a retrospective cohort analysis

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is one of the most important sequelae of premature birth. There is concern that in some patients, lung injuries early in life may have lifelong consequences. In this retrospective observational cohort study, lung function evolution in children with BPD was investigated from childhood to young adulthood. Data from 355 pulmonary function tests (PFT) in 24 patients were analyzed, with a median age at first PFT of 7.6 years and at last PFT 18.2 years. FEV 1 and FEV 1 /FVC were below the 5th percentile in respectively 18 and 13/24 patients. Comparing first and last measurement, there was significant worsening in FEV 1 from a mean of 71.3% pred (SD 18.3) to 66.7% pred (SD 21.7) ( p