LARGE LUNGS AFTER CHILDHOOD ASTHMA - A CASE-CONTROL STUDY

Several studies have suggested that the TLC after childhood asthma is increased compared with that in healthy subjects. The aim of this stud y was to assess whether TLC is increased after childhood asthma and wh ether this is associated with an increased growth of the lung during a dolescence. During a mean period of 29 months we studied 53 patients a nd 106 healthy control subjects who were matched for sex, age, and sta nding height. The patients had had asthma for a mean period of 10 yr. We found that in asthmatics TLC was increased in both sexes by about 7 % predicted compared with that in the matched control subjects. The gr owth of TLC in ml/yr during adolescence was less in patients; this can be accounted for by a delay in pubertal development. When corrected f or the delay in growth of stature, growth of TLC in ml/cm in asthmatic s was similar to that found in control subjects. These findings suppor t the hypothesis of a developmental change of enhanced lung growth dur ing childhood asthma; they do not support a mechanism with progressive loss of elastic recoil of the lung.