Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38621408›Full record

ArticleThe Lancet. Child & adolescent health2024

Determinants of lung function development from birth to age 5 years: an interrupted time series analysis of a South African birth cohort.

Carlyle McCready, Heather J Zar, Shaakira Chaya, Carvern Jacobs, Lesley Workman, Zoltan Hantos, Graham L Hall, Peter D Sly, Mark P Nicol, Dan J Stein and 4 more

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The Lancet. Child & adolescent health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed
11.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 28 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Early dysanapsis in experimental bronchopulmonary dysplasia: implications for lifelong lung disease.American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Implications of year 1 Trump Administration policies for Americans' lung health.American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2026
    Article
  8. Article
  9. The impact of child and adolescent health on adult respiratory health: the evidence, gaps and priorities.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2025
    Review
  10. Towards early detection and disease interception of COPD across the lifespan.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2025
    Review
  11. Article
  12. Social inequalities in childhood asthma.The World Allergy Organization journal · 2024
    Review
  13. Determining the aetiology of lower respiratory tract illness in children.African journal of thoracic and critical care medicine · 2024
    Article
  14. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors at 7 institutions in 4 countries.

Carlyle McCreadyDepartment of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; South African Medical Research Council Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Heather J ZarDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; South African Medical Research Council Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Shaakira ChayaDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; South African Medical Research Council Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Carvern JacobsDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; South African Medical Research Council Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Lesley WorkmanDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; South African Medical Research Council Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Zoltan HantosDepartment of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Graham L HallChildren's Lung Health, Telethon Kids Institute and School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
Peter D SlyChildren's Health and Environment Program, Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Mark P NicolMarshall Centre, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Dan J SteinDepartment of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; South African Medical Research Council Unit on Risk & Resilience, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Anhar UllahNational Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Adnan CustovicNational Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Francesca LittleDepartment of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Diane M GrayDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; South African Medical Research Council Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. Electronic address: diane.gray@uct.ac.za.
South African Medical Research Council · ZAImperial College London · GBChildren's Medical Research Institute · AUSemmelweis University · HUThe Kids Research Institute Australia · AUThe University of Western Australia · AUUniversity of Cape Town · ZA

Funding

The nasopharyngeal microbiota of African children and lower respiratory tract infectionU54HG009824 · NHGRI · UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN · PI NICOL, MARK PATRICK · 2017 to 2021
$2.9M
The nasopharyngeal microbiome and respiratory disease in African childrenU01AI110466 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN · PI NICOL, MARK PATRICK, ZAR, HEATHER JOY · 2013 to 2016
$1.4M
NHGRI NIH HHS U54 HG009824NIAID NIH HHS U01 AI110466Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEarly life is a key period that determines long-term health. Lung development in childhood predicts lung function attained in adulthood and morbidity and mortality across the life course. We aimed to assess the effect of early-life lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) and associated risk factors on lung development from birth to school age in a South African birth cohort.

methodsWe prospectively followed children enrolled in a population-based cohort from birth (between March 5, 2012 and March 31, 2015) to age 5 years with annual lung function assessment. Data on multiple early-life exposures, including LRTI, were collected. The effect of early-life risk factors on lung function development from birth to age 5 years was assessed using the Generalised Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape and Interrupted Time Series approach.

findings966 children (475 [49·2%] female, 491 [50·8%] male) had lung function measured with oscillometry, tidal flow volume loops, and multiple breath washout. LRTI occurred in 484 (50·1%) children, with a median of 2·0 LRTI episodes (IQR 1·0-3·0) per child. LRTI was independently associated with altered lung function, as evidenced by lower compliance (0·959 [95% CI 0·941-0·978]), higher resistance (1·028 [1·016-1·041]), and higher respiratory rate (1·018 [1·063-1·029]) over 5 years. Additional impact on lung function parameters occurred with each subsequent LRTI. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) LRTI was associated with lower expiratory flow ratio (0·97 [0·95-0·99]) compared with non-RSV LRTI. Maternal factors including allergy, smoking, and HIV infection were also associated with altered lung development, as was preterm birth, low birthweight, female sex, and coming from a less wealthy household.

interpretationPublic health interventions targeting LRTI prevention, with RSV a priority, are vital, particularly in low-income and middle-income settings.

fundingUK Medical Research Council Grant, The Wellcome Trust, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, US National Institutes of Health Human Heredity and Health in Africa, South African Medical Research Council, Hungarian Scientific Research Fund, and European Respiratory Society.

Indexed as

LungRespiratory Function TestsBirth CohortChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornInterrupted Time Series AnalysisMaleProspective StudiesRespiratory Tract InfectionsRisk FactorsSouth Africa

Identifiers

PMID38621408
PMCPMC11096865
OpenAlexW4394741613

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.