Persistence of upper respiratory tract infections in a cohort followed from childhood to adulthood

Abstract

Objective. To assess (1) prevalences of recurrent URTIs (rURTIs) and relapsing/persistent rURTIs and associated medical consumption between 0 and 21 years of age and (2) whether rURTIs experienced in early life predispose to upper airway disease later in life. Methods. A cohort of all children born in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, between September 1982 and September 1983, was assessed repeatedly from 2 to 21 years of age with question- naires regarding infections of the upper respiratory tract (URTIs), use of antibiotics, ENT operations and known risk factors for URTIs. Results. One hundred and sixty-one of the 693 cohort member (23%) suffered from relapsing rURTIs between 0 and 21 years of age, whereas only 7 (1%) suffered from persistent rURTIs throughout this period. Two hundred and six (30%) had used antibiotics more than once; and 220 (32%) had undergone at least one ENT operation. Of the 166 participants with rURTI between 8 and 21 years, 140 (84%) had had rURTI before. Conclusions. rURTIs are highly prevalent throughout early life and associated medical consumption is substantial. The challenge therefore is to develop therapeutic/preventive strategies that will prevent rURTIs in the first years of life. © The Author (2006). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.