Peralta, Gabriela P.Abellan, AliciaMontazeri, Parisa, 1988-Basterrechea, MikelEsplugues, AnaGonzález-Palacios, SandraRoda, CélinaSanta Marina, LoretoSunyer Deu, JordiVrijheid, MartineCasas Sanahuja, MaribelGarcía Aymerich, Judith2021-04-212020Peralta GP, Abellan A, MOntazeri P, Basterrechea M, Esplugues A, González-Palacios S et al. Early childhood growth is associated with lung function at 7 years: a prospective population-based study. Eur Respir J. 2020 Dec 24;56(6):2000157. DOI: 10.1183/13993003.00157-20200903-1936http://hdl.handle.net/10230/47178Previous studies have related early postnatal growth with later lung function but their interpretation is limited by the methods used to assess a child's growth. We aimed to assess the association of early childhood growth, measured by body mass index (BMI) trajectories up to 4 years, with lung function at 7 years.We included 1257 children from the Spanish Infancia y Medio Ambiente population-based birth cohort. Early childhood growth was classified into five categories based on BMI trajectories up to 4 years previously identified using latent class growth analysis. These trajectories differed in birth size ("lower", "average", "higher") and in BMI gain velocity ("slower", "accelerated"). We related these trajectories to lung function (forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC and forced expiratory flow at 25%-75% of FVC (FEF25-75%)) at 7 years, using multivariable mixed regression.Compared to children with average birth size and slower BMI gain (reference), children with higher birth size and accelerated BMI gain had a higher FVC % pred (3.3%, 95% CI 1.0%-5.6%) and a lower FEV1/FVC % pred (-1.5%, 95% CI -2.9%--0.1%) at 7 years. Similar associations were observed for children with lower birth size and accelerated BMI gain. Children with lower birth size and slower BMI gain had lower FVC % pred at 7 years. No association was found for FEF25-75%Independently of birth size, children with accelerated BMI gain in early childhood had higher lung function at 7 years but showed airflow limitation. Children with lower birth size and slower BMI gain in early childhood had lower lung function at 7 years.application/pdfengThis is an author-submitted, peer-reviewed version of a manuscript that has been accepted for publication in the European Respiratory Journal, prior to copy-editing, formatting and typesetting. This version of the manuscript may not be duplicated or reproduced without prior permission from the copyright owner, the European Respiratory Society. The publisher is not responsible or liable for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or in any version derived from it by any other parties. The final, copy-edited, published article, which is the version of record, is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1183/13993003.00157-2020InfànciaPulmonsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.1183/13993003.00157-2020info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess