TY - JOUR T1 - Pubertal onset with adulthood lung function mediated by height growth in adolescence JF - ERJ Open Research JO - erjor DO - 10.1183/23120541.00535-2020 SP - 00535-2020 AU - Liang Li AU - Hongmei Zhang AU - John W. Holloway AU - A. John Henderson AU - Susan Ewart AU - Caroline L. Relton AU - S. Hasan Arshad AU - Wilfried Karmaus Y1 - 2020/01/01 UR - http://openres.ersjournals.com/content/early/2020/09/01/23120541.00535-2020.abstract N2 - Background Age of pubertal onset is associated with height and lung function in adulthood. It is unknown whether height growth in adolescence mediates the association of age at puberty with early adult lung function.Methods Data from the Isle of Wight (IOW) birth cohort (n=1261) were examined in the study. Ages of pubertal events, height at ages 10 and 18 years and lung function parameters (FVC, FEV1) at 26 years were included in a path analyses to assess the mediation effects of height growth. Findings were tested in the ALSPAC birth cohort.Results In females in the IOW cohort, age at menarche and body hair growth showed a positive indirect association with FVC (menarche: indirect effect coefficient [IEC]=0.13, 95% confidence interval [CI]:0.05–0.20, p=1.28×10−3; body hair growth: IEC=0.08, 95% CI: 0.01–0.15, p=0.017) and FEV1 (menarche: IEC=0.09, 95% CI: 0.01–0.17, p=0.028; body hair growth: IEC=0.07, 95% CI: 0.01–0.14, p=0.043) at 26 years through height growth and lung function at 18 years. In males, age at body hair growth (IEC=0.08; 95% CI: 0.01–0.15, p=0.047), growth spurt (IEC=0.09; 95% CI: 0.01–0.17, p=0.034), and facial hair growth (IEC=0.09; 95% CI: 0.02–0.16, p=0.014) had positive indirect effects on FVC at 26 years, but voice deepening did not show statistically significant indirect effects (p>0.05). For pubertal events available in the ALSPAC cohort, results consistent with the IOW cohort were found for both females and males.Conclusion Effects of age of puberty on FVC in early adulthood are likely mediated by height growth during adolescence.FootnotesThis manuscript has recently been accepted for publication in the ERJ Open Research. It is published here in its accepted form prior to copyediting and typesetting by our production team. After these production processes are complete and the authors have approved the resulting proofs, the article will move to the latest issue of the ERJOR online. Please open or download the PDF to view this article.Conflict of interest: Dr. Li has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Zhang has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Holloway has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Henderson has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Ewart has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Relton has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Arshad has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Karmaus has nothing to disclose. ER -