OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship of infant feeding to recurrent wheezing at age 6 years and to assess whether this relationship is altered by a history of wheezing lower respiratory tract illnesses. DESIGN: Prospective, longitudinal study of healthy infants followed up from birth to 6 years of age. SETTING: Nonselected health maintenance organization population in Tucson, Arizona. PARTICIPANTS: There were 1246 healthy infants enrolled at birth, 988 of whom had data on both infant feeding and wheezing at age 6 years. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Recurrent wheeze (four or more episodes in the past year) was assessed by a questionnaire that was completed by parents when the children were 6 years old. Children were classified by atopic status on the basis of skin prick tests. RESULTS: Breast-feeding information was collected prospectively, and lower respiratory tract illnesses in the first 3 years of life were diagnosed by the pediatrician. Being breast-fed was associated with lower rates of recurrent wheeze at age 6 years (3.1% vs 9.7%, P < .01) for nonatopic children; this relationship was not significant for atopic children. The relationship of breast-feeding with recurrent wheeze was apparent among nonatopic children both with and without a wheezing lower respiratory tract illness in the first 6 months of life. When potential confounders, including early wheezing lower respiratory tract illness, were included in a multivariate model, nonatopic children who had not been breast-fed had three times the odds of wheezing recurrently (odds ratio, 3.03; confidence interval, 1.06 to 8.69). Eleven percent of recurrent wheeze among nonatopic children could be attributed to not breast-feeding. CONCLUSIONS: Recurrent wheeze at age 6 years is less common among nonatopic children who were breast-fed as infants. This effect is independent of whether the child wheezed with a lower respiratory tract illness in the first 6 months of life.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship of infant feeding to recurrent wheezing at age 6 years and to assess whether this relationship is altered by a history of wheezing lower respiratory tract illnesses. DESIGN: Prospective, longitudinal study of healthy infants followed up from birth to 6 years of age. SETTING: Nonselected health maintenance organization population in Tucson, Arizona. PARTICIPANTS: There were 1246 healthy infants enrolled at birth, 988 of whom had data on both infant feeding and wheezing at age 6 years. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Recurrent wheeze (four or more episodes in the past year) was assessed by a questionnaire that was completed by parents when the children were 6 years old. Children were classified by atopic status on the basis of skin prick tests. RESULTS: Breast-feeding information was collected prospectively, and lower respiratory tract illnesses in the first 3 years of life were diagnosed by the pediatrician. Being breast-fed was associated with lower rates of recurrent wheeze at age 6 years (3.1% vs 9.7%, P < .01) for nonatopic children; this relationship was not significant for atopic children. The relationship of breast-feeding with recurrent wheeze was apparent among nonatopic children both with and without a wheezing lower respiratory tract illness in the first 6 months of life. When potential confounders, including early wheezing lower respiratory tract illness, were included in a multivariate model, nonatopic children who had not been breast-fed had three times the odds of wheezing recurrently (odds ratio, 3.03; confidence interval, 1.06 to 8.69). Eleven percent of recurrent wheeze among nonatopic children could be attributed to not breast-feeding. CONCLUSIONS: Recurrent wheeze at age 6 years is less common among nonatopic children who were breast-fed as infants. This effect is independent of whether the child wheezed with a lower respiratory tract illness in the first 6 months of life.
Authors: Katherine C Wai; Anna M Hibbs; Martina A Steurer; Dennis M Black; Jeanette M Asselin; Eric C Eichenwald; Philip L Ballard; Roberta A Ballard; Roberta L Keller Journal: J Pediatr Date: 2018-04-04 Impact factor: 4.406
Authors: Kimberly D Gerhart; Debra A Stern; Stefano Guerra; Wayne J Morgan; Fernando D Martinez; Anne L Wright Journal: Thorax Date: 2018-05-21 Impact factor: 9.139
Authors: Joseph E Bunnell; Linda V Garcia; Jill M Furst; Harry Lerch; Ricardo A Olea; Stephen E Suitt; Allan Kolker Journal: J Environ Public Health Date: 2010-06-30