Tucson children's respiratory study: 1980 to present☆☆☆★

Abstract 

Continuing Medical Education examination

The Tucson Children's Respiratory Study (TCRS), begun in 1980, has followed 1246 subjects from birth together with their family members to delineate the complex interrelationships between a large number of potential risk factors, acute lower respiratory tract illnesses, and chronic lung disorders later in childhood and early adult life, especially asthma. Nine hundred seventy-four (78%) of the original subjects are still being followed. Among its numerous findings, the TCRS has (1) described various wheezing disorders (transient, nonatopic, atopic) and their characteristics; (2) developed an Asthma Predictive Index; (3) delineated the respiratory and atopic outcomes for children who had respiratory syncytial virus–related wheezing illnesses in infancy; and (4) evaluated a large number of risk factors for acute respiratory tract illnesses during the first 3 years of life. Future TCRS studies will focus on (1) factors in infancy and early childhood that relate to persistent asthma and atopy; (2) role of genetic factors in persistent asthma; and (3) determinants of lung function decline in early adult life. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2003;111:661-75.)

Keywords:  Asthma, risk factors, wheezing syndromes, atopy, lower respiratory tract illnesses, Tucson Children's Respiratory Study, lung function, immunology

Abbreviations:  CRT: , Childhood respiratory trouble, FRC: , Functional residual capacity, LRI: , Lower respiratory tract illness, OR: , Odds ratio, RSV: , Respiratory syncytial virus, TCRS: , Tucson Children's Respiratory Study, V′_max FRC: , Maximal forced expiratory flow at functional residual capacity, WLRI: , Wheezing lower respiratory illness