Patterns of Growth and Decline in Lung Function in Persistent Childhood Asthma

Data from a controlled trial of asthma treatment that enrolled patients in the first decade of life were combined with follow-up data to provide novel information on the growth and decline in lung function in the first three decades of life in patients with asthma. In persons without lung disease, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1 ) reaches its maximal level in late adolescence or early adulthood and remains stable for several years, a period known as the plateau of lung function, before gradually declining thereafter (Figure 1). 1 Under the construct described by Speizer and Tager, 1 the pattern of FEV 1 growth and decline in childhood and early adulthood is an important determinant of lung function in later adulthood; both reduced growth resulting in a low maximal level of lung function and early decline are associated with the subsequent development of chronic airflow . . .