TOPLINE:

Despite normal lung function at rest, school-aged children born prematurely with a history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) appeared to have impaired exercise capacity and reduced ventilatory efficiency during exercise compared with healthy term-born peers.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a prospective study to examine lung function, exercise capacity, and differences in breathing patterns, ventilatory responses, and gas exchange responses during exercise among children born prematurely with and without BPD.
• They included 82 children aged 6-18 years (50% boys): 23 born prematurely with BPD (gestational age < 32 weeks), 27 born prematurely without BPD (gestational age < 37 weeks), and 32 healthy term-born control children without a history of asthma (gestational age ≥ 37 weeks).
• BPD was defined and graded on the basis of the need for supplementary oxygen and ventilatory support at 36 weeks of postmenstrual age.
• Lung function parameters, including forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 second, were assessed using spirometry.
• Children underwent maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing; measured parameters included peak oxygen uptake, the ventilatory equivalent ratio for carbon dioxide (VE/VCO₂), and the ratio of physiologic dead space to tidal volume estimated from exhaled gases.

TAKEAWAY:

• Lung function parameters were within normal ranges and similar across groups. Percent predicted peak oxygen uptake was significantly lower in the BPD group than in control children (mean difference, -14.4; P = .04), but this difference was not significant after adjusting for height.
• The BPD group had significantly higher mean values of VE/VCO₂ at peak exercise than both control children (P < .001) and children born prematurely without BPD (P = .03); after adjusting for height, the difference between the BPD and control groups remained significant (P = .015).
• Having BPD was significantly associated with a higher VE/VCO₂ (beta-coefficient, +3.2; P = .005), consistent with reduced ventilatory efficiency during exercise.
• The ratio of physiologic dead space to tidal volume was numerically higher in the BPD group than in control children, but this difference was not significant after adjusting for height.

IN PRACTICE:

“Children with BPD can significantly benefit from close monitoring of lung function and exercise capacity, and a structured follow‐up can facilitate timely interventions that will hinder the rate of lung function decline,” the authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Eleana Kouroukli, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. It was published online on February 09, 2026, in Pediatric Pulmonology.

LIMITATIONS:

Recruitment was conducted at a single center, and the study included only children who remained in follow-up or could be reached. The sample size was small, and children with BPD were younger and shorter than the other children. Gas exchange parameters were measured noninvasively rather than using arterial blood gas measurements.

DISCLOSURES:

The authors reported receiving no specific funding for this work and declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.