Childhood Respiratory Risk Factor Profiles and Middle-Age Lung Function: A Prospective Cohort Study from the First to Sixth Decade.
Dinh S BuiHaydn E WaltersJohn A BurgessJennifer L PerretMinh Q BuiGayan BowatteAdrian J LoweMelissa A RussellBruce R ThompsonGarun S HamiltonAlan L JamesGraham G GilesPaul S ThomasDebbie JarvisCecilie SvanesJudith M Garcia-AymerichBircan ErbasPeter A FrithKatrina J AllenMichael J AbramsonCaroline J LodgeShyamali Chandrika DharmagePublished in: Annals of the American Thoracic Society (2019)
Profiles of childhood respiratory risk factors predict middle-age lung function levels and COPD risk. Specifically, children with frequent asthma attacks and allergies, especially if they also become adult smokers, are the most vulnerable group. Targeting active asthma in adulthood (i.e., a dominant mediator) and smoking (i.e., an effect modifier) may block causal pathways and lessen the effect of such established early-life exposures.