Correcting standardized expiratory flows for prematurity in ex-preterm survivors-Is it necessary?

Objective: To determine the effect of correcting for prematurity on standardized values for expiratory flow rates for participants from 5 years through to 70 years of age.

Methods: In a theoretical model we assumed starting values for expiratory flows that were expected to give ranges within ±2 SD. Keeping expiratory flows, ethnicity and height constant, we then determined how z scores varied between 5 and 16.9 years, and, with two different fixed values for height and expiratory flows, between 16 and 70 years of ages, for both sexes. In a clinical example, we compared expiratory flows with age both corrected and uncorrected for prematurity between 144 survivors born extremely preterm and 141 term-born controls at both 8 and 18 years of age.

Results: In the theoretical models, z scores mostly declined through childhood until the late teenage years, and then began to rise through later life. The maximum difference in z-scores between corrected and uncorrected scores for a participant born 4 months' preterm would occur in the early teenage years, and for the forced vital capacity would be approximately -0.09 SD wider. In the clinical example not correcting for prematurity resulted in a maximum gap between preterm and term cohorts 0.06 SD wider for the forced vital capacity at 8 years than if age was corrected for prematurity.

Conclusions: Correction for prematurity is not necessary in clinical practice, and is probably not required for research in studies of respiratory airflow through childhood or adulthood.