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Review
. 2023 Aug 19;12(16):5400.
doi: 10.3390/jcm12165400.

Are Babies Born Preterm High-Risk Asthma Candidates?

Carlo Caffarelli  1 , Serena Gracci  2 , Giuliana Giannì  1 , Roberto Bernardini  2
Affiliations
Review

Are Babies Born Preterm High-Risk Asthma Candidates?

Carlo Caffarelli et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Among preterm infants, the risk of developing asthma is a matter of debate. This review discusses the state of the art of poorly understood prematurity-associated asthma. Impaired pulmonary function is common in children born prematurely. Preterm infants are prone to developing viral respiratory tract infections, bronchiolitis in the first year of life, and recurrent viral wheezing in preschool age. All of these conditions may precede asthma development. We also discuss the role of both atopic sensitization and intestinal microbiome and, consequently, immune maturation. Diet and pollution have been considered to better understand how prematurity could be associated with asthma. Understanding the effect of factors involved in asthma onset may pave the way to improve the prediction of this asthma phenotype.

Keywords: allergy; asthma; atopy; breastfeeding; bronchiolitis; lung function; microbiome; preterm; smoking.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The effects of environmental and individual factors leading the preterm newborn to the development of childhood asthma.
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