CHANGES IN RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS AND AIRWAY HYPERRESPONSIVENESS AFTER 27 YEARS IN A POPULATION-BASED SAMPLE OF SCHOOL-CHILDREN

We wanted to test the hypothesis that childhood airway hyperresponsive ness, even in the absence of respiratory symptoms, is a risk factor fo r respiratory disease in adulthood. In a childhood survey of 1963, thr ee groups of 20 children aged 8-11 yrs, were selected from a populatio n sample: 1) a group with recurrent respiratory symptoms (symptomatic group); 2) a group with no symptoms but a positive family history of a topy; and 3) a control group. All children completed assessment of sym ptoms, atopy, lung function, and airway hyperresponsiveness. At the ad ulthood survey 27 yrs later, 85% of the original sample were reinvesti gated. Only 10 out of 19 subjects (53%) of the original symptomatic gr oup still had symptoms. The significant difference of forced expirator y volume in one second (FEV1) % predicted in childhood between the sym ptomatic and the control group had disappeared. The prevalence of airw ay hyperresponsiveness had decreased in all groups. In asymptomatic hy perresponders it had normalized at adult age. The a.symptomatic hyperr esponders in childhood had lower levels of lung function, both in chil dhood and in adulthood. In univariate and multivariate analyses, respi ratory symptoms at adult age were related to childhood atopy. Results suggest that childhood atopy is a risk factor for respiratory symptoms in young adulthood, but that mild childhood airway hyperresponsivenes s is not.