Estudio de la función pulmonar en niños tras neumonía adquirida en la comunidad en edad preescolar

Aim: Some studies relate pulmonary function (PF) during adult life to community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) suffered during infancy. The aim of the present work was to evaluate PF in children following CAP, contracted at pre-school age, which required hospitalisation. The hypothesis was that, once resolved, CAP in pre-school age children does not affect PF; further monitoring should therefore be unnecessary. Methods and Materials: PF was studied in a cohort of children who had suffered CAP at preschool age, for which they were hospitalised. Children aged over 4 years were selected to try to ensure adequate collaboration, and a forced spirometry test was attempted in all of them. Results: Of the initial 49 patients, 42 (85.7%) correctly performed the forced spirometry test. All were asymptomatic at the time of examination. The mean age of these patients was 6,6 +/- 1,2 years; 25 were boys (54,3%). The mean time between CAP and the test was 19,5 +/- 7,6 months. The results (mean +/- SD) obtained with respect to theoretical values were: forced respiratory volume in the first second 107.73 +/- 14.56% and forced vital capacity 101,6 +/- 15,35%. Conclusions: The PF of children who have suffered CAP at pre-school age is normal following the resolution of the condition. No further PF studies are required after CAP resolves. (C) 2011 Asociacion Espanola de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.