Birth weight and lung functions in male adolescents.

The aim of this comparative retrospective cohort study was to examine the associations between birth weight and lung function in cohort of 70 adolescent male children aged 12-16 years. The subjects, born in nursing homes located in vicinity of the institution having their complete birth records were traced. They were male children between ages of 12-16 years. Lung function parameters were measured using a portable spirometer DATOSPIR 120 B. The corrected mean difference (95% confidence interval) in forced vital capacity (FVC) was -0.19 ml (-0.55 to 0.16) this was significantly lower in low birth weight group (LBW) as compared to normal birth weight children. All other lung function parameters were not significantly different in the two groups. We did not find a significant association between birth weight at term and lung function parameters in the adolescent age group. While mean FVC which was found to be lower in LBW group in our study might be due to programming in infancy rather than intrauterine life. Our results did not support Barker Hypothesis according to which adverse influences during intrauterine life result in increased disease risk in adulthood.