. 2022 Jun;9(1):e001212.

doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2022-001212.

Childhood 'bronchitis' and respiratory outcomes in middle-age: a prospective cohort study from age 7 to 53 years

Jennifer L Perret^{1

2

3}, Danielle Wurzel^{4

5

6}, E Haydn Walters^{4

7}, Adrian J Lowe⁴, Caroline J Lodge⁴, Dinh S Bui⁴, Bircan Erbas⁸, Gayan Bowatte⁴, Melissa A Russell⁴, Bruce R Thompson⁹, Lyle Gurrin⁴, Paul S Thomas¹⁰, Garun Hamilton^{11

12}, John L Hopper⁴, Michael J Abramson¹³, Anne B Chang^{14

15

16}, Shyamali C Dharmage⁴

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia jennifer.perret@unimelb.edu.au.
² Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, The Austin Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
³ Institute for Breathing and Sleep (IBAS), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁴ Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁵ Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁶ Infection and Immunity, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁷ Department of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
⁸ Department of Public Health, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
⁹ School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia.
¹⁰ Prince of Wales' Clinical School, and Mechanisms of Disease and Translational Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹¹ Monash Lung, Sleep, Allergy and Immunology, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
¹² School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
¹³ School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
¹⁴ Department of Respiratory Medicine, Queensland Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
¹⁵ Child Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
¹⁶ Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

PMID: 35725733
PMCID: PMC9240942
DOI: 10.1136/bmjresp-2022-001212

Childhood 'bronchitis' and respiratory outcomes in middle-age: a prospective cohort study from age 7 to 53 years

Jennifer L Perret et al. BMJ Open Respir Res. 2022 Jun.

. 2022 Jun;9(1):e001212.

doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2022-001212.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia jennifer.perret@unimelb.edu.au.
² Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, The Austin Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
³ Institute for Breathing and Sleep (IBAS), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁴ Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁵ Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁶ Infection and Immunity, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁷ Department of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
⁸ Department of Public Health, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
⁹ School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia.
¹⁰ Prince of Wales' Clinical School, and Mechanisms of Disease and Translational Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹¹ Monash Lung, Sleep, Allergy and Immunology, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
¹² School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
¹³ School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
¹⁴ Department of Respiratory Medicine, Queensland Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
¹⁵ Child Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
¹⁶ Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

PMID: 35725733
PMCID: PMC9240942
DOI: 10.1136/bmjresp-2022-001212

Abstract

Background: Chronic bronchitis in childhood is associated with a diagnosis of asthma and/or bronchiectasis a few years later, however, consequences into middle-age are unknown.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between childhood bronchitis and respiratory-related health outcomes in middle-age.

Design: Cohort study from age 7 to 53 years.

Setting: General population of European descent from Tasmania, Australia.

Participants: 3202 participants of the age 53-year follow-up (mean age 53, range 51-55) of the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study cohort who were born in 1961 and first investigated at age 7 were included in our analysis.

Statistical methods: Multivariable linear and logistic regression. The association between parent reported childhood bronchitis up to age 7 and age 53-year lung conditions (n=3202) and lung function (n=2379) were investigated.

Results: Among 3202 participants, 47.5% had one or more episodes of childhood bronchitis, classified according to severity based on the number of episodes and duration as: 'non-recurrent bronchitis' (28.1%); 'recurrent non-protracted bronchitis' (18.1%) and 'recurrent-protracted bronchitis' (1.3%). Age 53 prevalence of doctor-diagnosed asthma and pneumonia (p-trend <0.001) and chronic bronchitis (p-trend=0.07) increased in accordance with childhood bronchitis severities. At age 53, 'recurrent-protracted bronchitis' (the most severe subgroup in childhood) was associated with doctor-diagnosed current asthma (OR 4.54, 95% CI 2.31 to 8.91) doctor-diagnosed pneumonia (OR=2.18 (95% CI 1.00 to 4.74)) and, paradoxically, increased transfer factor for carbon monoxide (z-score +0.51 SD (0.15-0.88)), when compared with no childhood bronchitis.

Conclusion: In this cohort born in 1961, one or more episodes of childhood bronchitis was a frequent occurrence. 'Recurrent-protracted bronchitis', while uncommon, was especially linked to multiple respiratory outcomes almost five decades later, including asthma, pneumonia and raised lung gas transfer. These findings provide insights into the natural history of childhood 'bronchitis' into middle-age.

Keywords: clinical epidemiology; respiratory infection.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: JP, AL, CL, DB, EHW, MJA and SCD have received an investigator-initiated grant from GlaxoSmithKline for unrelated research, and SCD holds a similar grant from AstraZeneca. MJA also holds investigator-initiated grants from Pfizer, Boehringer-Ingelheim and Sanofi for unrelated research; has undertaken an unrelated consultancy and received assistance with conference attendance from Sanofi; and received a speaker’s fee from GlaxoSmithKline. ABC is on independent data safety and monitoring boards for a SARs-COV2 vaccine (Moderna), an unlicensed RSV vaccine (GSK) and monoclonal antibody (AstraZeneca), where the monies are received by her institution. BRT serves on the medical advisory boards of Chiesi Australia and 4D Medical and has received an unrelated consultancy from GlaxoSmithKline and speaker fees from Mundipharma. AL has received investigational product (EpiCeram TM) free of charge from Primus Pharmaceuticals for use in unrelated research. DW has received consultancy fee from MSD for participation on an expert input forum, outside the submitted work.

Figures

**Figure 1**
TAHS participants 1968–2016 study participants were those who attended both the 7 and 53 years follow-up visits and had complete questionnaire data and technically acceptable lung function measurements. Regression numbers varied with each outcome (n=3062–3196)†‡. post-BD, post-bronchodilator; TAHS, Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study; T_Lco, transfer factor for carbon monoxide of the lung.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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Childhood 'bronchitis' and respiratory outcomes in middle-age: a prospective cohort study from age 7 to 53 years

Affiliations

Childhood 'bronchitis' and respiratory outcomes in middle-age: a prospective cohort study from age 7 to 53 years

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

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LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical