P-Wave Axis of Schoolchildren Who Were Once Breastfed

It has been known for decades that breastfeeding leads to a lower risk of asthma, respiratory infections, or metabolic syndrome at school age. In addition, evidence is now accumulating on the influence of breast milk on the shape, volume, or function of the heart and lungs. Within this field of rese...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Children (Basel) 2023-07, Vol.10 (7), p.1255
Main Authors: Costa, Juan-Antonio, Rodriguez-Trabal, Carla, Pareja, Ignacio, Tur, Alicia, Mambié, Marianna, Fernandez-Hidalgo, Mercedes, Verd, Sergio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Babies
Blood pressure
Body mass index
Breast feeding
breastfeeding
Breastfeeding & lactation
Brief Report
Electrocardiogram
Electrocardiography
Elementary school students
Health aspects
infant formula
Infants
Pediatrics
Population
Respiratory tract diseases
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:It has been known for decades that breastfeeding leads to a lower risk of asthma, respiratory infections, or metabolic syndrome at school age. In addition, evidence is now accumulating on the influence of breast milk on the shape, volume, or function of the heart and lungs. Within this field of research into the effects of breast milk on the structure of the heart and lungs, we have set out to analyze the differential electrocardiographic characteristics of schoolchildren who were once breastfed. This was an observational cross-sectional study, including 138 children aged 6 or 12 consecutively presenting to a well-child clinic between May and December 2022. The ability to perform reproducible ECG records, the feasibility of weighing and measuring patient, and breastfeeding data collected from birth were used as the inclusion criteria. Using the 40° cut-off value for the mean P-wave axis among schoolchildren, 76% of never-breastfed children in our sample have a P-wave axis in a more vertical position than the mean as compared to 58% of ever-breastfed children (OR: 2.25; 95% CI: 3.13-1.36); there was no other significant difference between infant feeding groups in somatometric characteristics or ECG parameters. We found a significant difference of the mean values of the P-wave axis between never- and ever-breastfed children. Although this report should be approached cautiously, these findings add to the renewed interest in discerning developmental interventions to improve cardiovascular health.
ISSN:2227-9067
2227-9067
DOI:10.3390/children10071255