Asthma, SDB, and NDI are common consequences of preterm birth with significant impact on child and family quality of life and public health. To date, the mechanisms leading to these outcomes remain unclear, and improvements in neonatal care have not improved these outcomes. While early detection and intervention can reduce the burden of these outcomes, methods for early identification of infants destined for these morbidities is currently lacking. Utilizing the Pre-Vent cohort to investigate potential underlying causes and identify predictors for these conditions as we propose here is essential to inform future prevention and intervention strategies that promote optimal health and development.
Recent compelling data indicate that early postnatal intermittent hypoxemia (IH) events may play a role in undesirable outcomes. Early postnatal IH events in extremely preterm infants are associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), asthma medication at 2 years, and NDI at 18 months. The ability of IH to perturb maturation of long-term respiratory control has been demonstrated in neonatal rodents consistent with preterm infants being at heightened risk for childhood SDB. Although evidence is emerging that IH events are linked to poor outcomes in premature infants, the specific relationship between distinct IH patterns (e.g. duration, timing, frequency, and nadir) and longer-term respiratory and neurologic function remains to be elucidated.
