Grant: Operating Grant - PA: Reproductive and Child Heath (start-up grants)

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease that affects premature babies and contributes to their morbidity and mortality. With advances in neonatal care, premature infants are now reaching adulthood in greater number, resulting in an increased number of young adults with BPD. Their relative contributions to the growing adult populations with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases has clinical and healthcare resources implications, namely because their course, prognosis, and treatment is unknown, and the societal implications of significant disabilities are important, especially when arising at such young age. The study has the general hypothesis that prematurity cause abnormal lung growth, resulting in abnormal lung functions in ex-premature adults. Its specific objectives are to describe the lung function in subjects having reached adulthood, as well as the impact of BPD on their quality of life and the degree to which they can live a normal life, free of respiratory symptoms, medication use and hospital visits. This study will help provide people suffering from BPD with adequate medical treatment and follow-up once the long-term consequences of BPD are better known.