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Family Practice Advance Access originally published online on March 3, 2006
Family Practice 2006 23(3):286-290; doi:10.1093/fampra/cml001
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© The Author (2006). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

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

Maroeska M Roversa,b,c, Walter A F Balemansd, Elisabeth A M Sandersb, Cornelis K van der Entd, Gerhard A Zielhuise and Anne G M Schilderc

a Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht The Netherlands
b Department of Pediatric Immunology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht The Netherlands
c Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht The Netherlands
d Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht The Netherlands
e Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Medical Centre Nijmegen The Netherlands

Correspondence to Maroeska M Rovers, PhD, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Stratenum 6.139, PO Box 85060, 3508 AB Utrecht, The Netherlands. Email: M.Rovers{at}umcutrecht.nl

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 questionnaires 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.

Keywords. Upper respiratory tract infections, cohort, antibiotics, ENT operations.


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