Respiratory outcomes in high-risk children 7 to 10 years after prophylaxis with respiratory syncytial virus immune globulin

PURPOSE: Respiratory syncytial virus infections have been implicated in the development of asthma. We evaluated the long-term effects of respiratory syncytial virus immune globulin, an effective prophylactic agent for the prevention of these infections in children, on respiratory and allergic outcomes in children at high risk of chronic airway disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Thirteen children at high risk of respiratory disease (mean [+/-SD] age, 8.6 +/- 1.1 years) were evaluated using pulmonary function and allergy skin testing 7 to 10 years after they had received prophylaxis with respiratory syncytial virus immune globulin. For comparison, 26 high-risk control children (mean age, 8.5 +/- 0.9 years) were also evaluated. Health outcomes data were collected from all subjects. RESULTS: The children were matched for age and gestational age. There were more boys, and a lesser frequency of a lower respiratory tract infection with respiratory syncytial virus (P <0.001) in the group that had been treated prophylactically than in the controls. The ratio of the forced expiratory volume in I second to forced vital capacity was significantly better in children who had received immune globulin (median, 0.88; interquartile range, 0.81 to 0.91) than in the controls (median, 0.76; interquartile range, 0.67, to 0.86; P = 0.02). Children were also less atopic (2 of 13) in the respiratory syncytial virus immune globulin group than in the control group (13 of 26, P <0.04) and were less likely to have missed school (P = 0.006) or have had an asthma attack (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that prophylaxis of respiratory syncytial virus infections in infancy may have long-term effects on respiratory and immunologic parameters relevant to the development of asthma. Larger-scale studies are needed.