Tracking lung health from childhood to adulthood: spotting risks early to keep lungs healthy

New research has identified patterns in how the lungs grow, which could help us take action to stop lung problems in later life. The findings suggest that the lungs develop on different paths. While some grow strong and healthy, others develop problems that either stay the same, get worse or improve over time.

By studying lung health in thousands of children from birth to early adulthood, researchers aim to shed light on why problems might develop and what we can do to stop this happening.

Background

The lungs begin developing while a baby is growing in the womb. This process continues throughout childhood and into the teenage years. Lung health reaches its peak in early adulthood and then gradually declines as we get older.

Many factors can affect how the lungs develop. These include exposure to cigarette smoke, early childhood infections and air pollution. Some people may also be more likely to develop lung conditions due to the genes they inherit from their parents.

What did the study find?

This study followed thousands of children from different countries, including the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands, to see how their lungs changed as they grew. Researchers measured their lung health using a test called spirometry, which looks at how well air flows in and out of the lungs. The study found that:

• Most children develop healthy lungs and have no breathing problems.
• Some children have breathing problems from a young age that never go away.
• A small number of children start off with healthy lungs but develop breathing problems as they get older.
• Some children are born with weaker lungs but show improvement over time.

The researchers also looked at what might influence these different lung health patterns. They found that certain factors make it more likely for children to develop lung problems, including:

• Wheezing at a young age is linked to a higher risk of lung problems later in life.
• A mother smoking during pregnancy can reduce her child’s lung health.
• Children who are underweight or overweight may be more at risk of developing breathing problems, especially if they also have asthma.
• Exposure to air pollution and second-hand smoke can negatively affect lung development.

Why is this important?

This research is important because it provides an understanding how lung health changes over time so that doctors and researchers can better identify children at risk of long-term breathing problems. This could lead to earlier diagnosis, better treatments and advice on how to keep lungs healthy for life.

The findings suggest that interventions at any stage could improve lung function and prevent long-term breathing problems. Interventions could include:

• Managing weight, especially in children with asthma or wheezing, to support better lung function.
• Encouraging smoke-free environments
• Reducing exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution
• Promoting healthy growth in childhood.

Future research will focus on how to prevent lung problems before they start and how to support children who are at higher risk.

This paper is part of the European Respiratory Society’s CADSET project. CADSET (Chronic Airway DiSeases Early sTratification) is a clinical research collaboration focused on improving clinical research in chronic airway diseases. By studying the development of lung health over time, CADSET aims to find ways to better diagnose and treat lung conditions.

Read the full paper: Trajectories of airflow limitation from childhood to early adulthood: an analysis of six population-based birth cohorts