Shaheen S O, Barker D J, Holgate S T
MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, United Kingdom.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1995 May;151(5):1649-51; discussion 1651-2. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/151.5_Pt_1.1649.
The hypothesis that lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in early childhood lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in late adult life has been difficult to test. However, a unique opportunity arose when records were discovered in the counties of Hertfordshire and Derbyshire, England, that contained information about childhood LRTI recorded 60 to 70 years ago. The lung function of some men still living in these counties was examined. In Hertfordshire men, bronchitis or pneumonia in infancy was associated with reduced mean FEV1, adjusted for age and height. In Derbyshire men, pneumonia before 2 yr of age was associated with a large and highly significant reduction in mean FEV1, adjusted for age and height. These findings were independent of smoking and social class. These data support a causal relationship between LRTI in early life and subsequent COPD.
幼儿期下呼吸道感染（LRTI）会导致成年后期慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）这一假说一直难以验证。然而，当在英国赫特福德郡和德比郡发现了记录着60至70年前儿童期LRTI信息的档案时，一个独特的机会出现了。研究人员对一些仍居住在这些郡的男性的肺功能进行了检查。在赫特福德郡的男性中，婴儿期患支气管炎或肺炎与经年龄和身高调整后的平均第一秒用力呼气容积（FEV1）降低有关。在德比郡的男性中，2岁前患肺炎与经年龄和身高调整后的平均FEV1大幅且极显著降低有关。这些发现与吸烟和社会阶层无关。这些数据支持了生命早期的LRTI与随后的COPD之间的因果关系。
