Babies who have accelerated growth in the first three months of life have an increased risk of asthma symptoms, according to a new study.
The research, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, analysed over 5,000 children who were followed from foetal life through to the age of 4 years?.
The researchers collected information on asthma symptoms by questionnaire at the age of 1, 2, 3 and 4 years.
The findings showed that babies who had accelerated growth from birth to 3 months of age, following normal growth in the womb, had a higher risk of asthma symptoms including: wheezing; shortness of breath; dry cough and persistent phlegm.
The authors of the paper state that further research is needed to explore the mechanisms that contribute to the effects of growth acceleration in infants and how this links with respiratory health.