Affiliations: Centre for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine,
University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Note: [] Corresponding author: Dr. Andrea Heinzmann, Centre for
Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Mathildenstr. 1, D-79106 Freiburg, Germany.
Tel.: +49 761 2706371; Fax: +49 761 2706372; E-mail:
andrea.heinzmann@uniklinik-freiburg.de
Abstract: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the chronic lung disease of
preterm infants and still represents a major burden of prematurity. Several
clinical risk factors for the onset of the disease are already known. In
addition, some candidate genes have recently been identified. We set out to
determine clinical as well as genetic risk factors for the development of BPD
in the German population. 155 infants born with a gestational age ⩽ 28 at the tertiary neonatal Centre, Freiburg, were recruited.
Clinical data were recorded from hospital charts. 47 children developed
moderate or severe BPD. For genetic analyses, 37 polymorphisms within sixteen
genes were genotyped on all children. The strongest epidemiological risk factor
for BPD was birth weight, followed by low gestational age. Genetic association
was detected with single polymorphisms within Tumour necrosis factor
alpha, Toll like receptor 10 and vascular endothelial growth
factor. The former two genes showed also association with BPD in haplotype
analyses. In conclusion, association of BPD was far more convincingly found
with a few clinical factors than with genetic polymorphisms. This underscores
the genetic complexity of the disease. Furthermore, the identification of
predisposing genetic polymorphisms might be hampered by the complex interaction
between clinical and genetic factors.
