Pediatr Pulmonol. 2025 Aug;60(8):e71227. doi: 10.1002/ppul.71227.
ABSTRACT
AIM: We examined if sex and puberty are associated with respiratory health, and if associations were modified by ethnicity, body mass index or allergic sensitization.
METHODS: Among 3418 children of a multi-ethnic population-based cohort study, medical records provided information on sex. Questionnaires provided information on pubertal stages, wheezing from birth until age 13 years and current asthma at age 13 years. Pre/early, mid, and late developmental stages of breast (girls only), genital (boys only), and pubic hair were based on Tanner stages 1-2, 3-4, and 5, respectively. Spirometry was performed at age 13 years.
RESULTS: Girls had a consistently lower risk of wheezing from birth until age 13 years than boys (overall OR (95% CI) 0.86 (0.74, 0.98)). Additionally, allergic girls had a lower risk of current asthma at age 13 years (0.66 (0.46, 0.94)). Only underweight and overweight/obese girls had lower and higher, respectively, FEV1 and FVC (Z-score difference (95% CI): -0.25 (-0.40, -0.10) and -0.23 (-0.38, -0.08); 0.26 (0.09, 0.42) and 0.24 (0.09, 0.40), respectively). Girls with a late breast stage, boys with a late genital stage, and both sexes with a late pubic hair stage had higher FEV1, FVC and/or FEF75, compared with those with pre/early pubertal stages at school age (range 0.18 (0.01, 0.34)-0.22 (0.03, 0.41)).
CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest a different risk of respiratory morbidity between girls and boys partly modified by BMI or allergic sensitization, not ethnicity, and that puberty has a positive effect on lung function measures in both sexes.
PMID:40778602 | DOI:10.1002/ppul.71227
