Intermittent hypoxia and bronchial hyperreactivity

Abstract

The premature neonate is at high risk for childhood airway hyperreactivity and episodes of wheezing. Intermittent hypoxic events are frequently observed during the first weeks and months of life in these infants. Intermittent hypoxemia has been associated with adverse outcomes in extremely premature infants; including the diagnosis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, reported wheezing, and use of prescription asthma medications. We review the incidence of intermittent hypoxia, their potential role in short and longer term respiratory morbidity, and the translational newborn models now being used to investigate common pathways by which intermittent hypoxia contributes to respiratory disease.

Keywords: Airway hyperreactivity; Bronchopulmonary dysplasia; Intermittent hypoxia; Prematurity; Wheezing.

FIGURE 1:

Proposed pathways by which intermittent hypoxia with rebound hyperoxia may potentiate oxidative stress and contribute to bronchial hyperreactivity. [Reactive oxygen species, ROS; Hypoxia inducible factor, HIF]