Respiratory and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Survivors of Extremely Preterm Birth at 19 Years

Growth and development during adolescence may modify the respiratory and vascular differences seen among extremely preterm (EP) individuals in childhood and early adolescence. To assess the trajectory of respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes during transition to adulthood in a national longitudinal cohort study of births before 26 weeks of gestation in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A total of 129 EP participants and 65 control subjects attended for a center-based evaluation at 19 years of age. Standardized measures of spirometry, hemodynamics, functional capacity, and markers of inflammation were obtained from EP subjects with and without neonatal bronchopulmonary dysplasia and term-born control subjects at 19 years of age and compared with previous assessments. Compared with the control group, the EP group was significantly impaired on all spirometric parameters (mean FEV -score, -1.08 SD [95% confidence interval, -1.40 to -0.77]) and had lower fractional exhaled nitric oxide concentrations (13.9 vs. 24.4 ppb;