Lower respiratory tract infections (LTRIs) such as bronchitis, bronchopneumonia (acute inflammation of the bronchi) and pneumonia that one develops in early childhood can increase the risk of premature death due to respiratory disease in adulthood, a new study has found.
The 77-year-long study, which began in 1946 in the UK, evaluated birth and death records of 3,589 participants across England, Scotland and Wales. It was published in The Lancet on Tuesday, March 7.
The study found that people who had an LTRI in their early childhood (before the age of two years), are 93 percent more likely to die prematurely from a respiratory disease in their adulthood (between the age of 26 and 73 years) compared to those who did not suffer from an LTRI as a child.
Respiratory tract infections linked to premature death
The study also found that contracting multiple LTRIs, infections that require hospitalisation or those that one develops before turning one-year-old is linked to a higher rate of premature deaths.
“Our results suggest that children who had an LRTI by age 2 years were almost twice as likely to die prematurely from respiratory disease as adults, and these infections accounted for one-fifth of these deaths,” the study says.
The study excluded participants whose lives were impacted by childhood socio-economic positions, adult smoking, birthweight, etc.
The study was led by researchers from Imperial College London and carried out in collaboration with researchers from University College London, Loughborough University and Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust.
Reacting to the study, Happiest Health spoke to pulmonologists who said that developing an LTRI in your early childhood, a period when the lungs are still developing and growing, can impact your lung health.
“Although a lower respiratory tract infection is harmful to your lungs at any age, in early childhood, when the lungs are still developing, it could leave a lasting impact on your overall lung health,” says Dr Naveen Dutt, additional professor, pulmonary medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Jodhpur. “It is important to take measures to keep respiratory infections at bay during early childhood- improve overall hygiene of the community, avoid early exposure to pollution, etc.,” he says.
Authors of the study have pointed out that since they focused on people born in the 1940s, the results may not be applicable to children born today.
Besides, the study has also been a myth buster. It has indeed helped challenge the common notion that all deaths caused by life-threatening respiratory diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) are related to one’s lifestyle choices as an adult- like smoking, say the authors.
Dr James Allinson (lead author of the study) from the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, said in a statement, “Current preventative measures for adult respiratory disease mainly focus on adult lifestyle risk factors such as smoking. Linking one in five adult respiratory deaths to common infections many decades earlier in childhood shows the need to target risk well before adulthood.”
Professor Rebecca Hardy (co-author of the study) from University College London and Loughborough University, said, “The results of our study suggest that efforts to reduce childhood respiratory infections could have an impact on tackling premature mortality from respiratory disease later in life. We hope that this study will help guide the strategies of international health organisations in tackling this issue.”
Takeaways
- A recent study by UK researchers published in the Lancet has established a link between early childhood LTRIs and the risk of premature death from a respiratory disease in adulthood.
- The study has challenged the general perception that all deaths caused by life-threatening respiratory diseases are related to one’s lifestyle choices as an adult.
