22 Dec 2025 • Infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia exposed to higher fine particulate air pollution in the first year after NICU discharge faced a substantially greater risk of asthma by age 5.

In a study of 337 infants, half (50.1%) were diagnosed with asthma by age 5. Risk rose steadily as PM2.5 exposure increased and each 1 µg/m³ increase in PM2.5 was linked to a 19% higher adjusted asthma risk (aRR 1.19), independent of neonatal severity, sociodemographic factors, and neighborhood deprivation. Those in the highest tertile (mean 10.0 µg/m³) had a 68% higher asthma risk (aRR 1.68) versus infants in the lowest exposure tertile (mean 7.6 µg/m³).

The findings identify early post-discharge air quality as a modifiable driver of long-term respiratory morbidity in this vulnerable population.

Source: WILEY | Read full story