2025/26 : In Paris, Pediatric Respiratory Health Research Project
In France, every year, more than 11,000 children under the age of 3 are hospitalized for emergency respiratory distress with wheezing, and 28,000 children under the age of 2 for bronchiolitis. It is also well established that the prevalence of childhood asthma increases with age.
Two main theories attempt to explain these issues:
- the "viral" theory : severe respiratory infections during the first year of life are thought to damage the airways, leading to recurrent episodes.
- the "constitutional" theory : some children are born with specific characteristics that make them more vulnerable to both viral infections and respiratory distress.
The lockdown period during the COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented situation in which the circulation of respiratory viruses was significantly reduced. This situation presents an exceptional opportunity to test these theories.
This research will compare three groups of children born in the spring (March–May): before the pandemic (2015–2016), during lockdown (2020), and after lockdown (2021). The study will analyze the age at which these children were first hospitalized for a wheezing respiratory episode.
If children born during lockdown develop fewer respiratory episodes between the ages of 1 and 3, it would support the "viral" theory. This would reinforce the importance of preventive strategies against infant viral infections, such as preventive treatments for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), the primary cause of bronchiolitis.
La Fondation La Petite Etoile is participating in this project, which aims to calculate the impact of reduced respiratory virus circulation during the COVID-19 pandemic on wheezing exacerbations in preschool children.
Location : within the HeKA unit, a joint project-team composed of researchers, clinical academics, and professors from Inria, Inserm (U1346), Université Paris Cité (located at PariSanté Campus, Issy-les-Moulineaux), and the AP-HP (Paris Public Hospital System), in collaboration with departments from the Georges Pompidou European Hospital, Necker Hospital, and the Imagine Institute.
Total Budget : € 48,235
Co-participants : Fondation La Petite Etoile, Fondation du Souffle (The Breath Foundation), SPLF (French-Language Respiratory Society)
Funding provided by Fondation La Petite Etoile : € 6,000
In France, every year, more than 11,000 children under the age of 3 are hospitalized for emergency respiratory distress with wheezing, and 28,000 children under the age of 2 for bronchiolitis. It is also well established that the prevalence of childhood asthma increases with age.
Two main theories attempt to explain these issues:
- the "viral" theory : severe respiratory infections during the first year of life are thought to damage the airways, leading to recurrent episodes.
- the "constitutional" theory : some children are born with specific characteristics that make them more vulnerable to both viral infections and respiratory distress.
The lockdown period during the COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented situation in which the circulation of respiratory viruses was significantly reduced. This situation presents an exceptional opportunity to test these theories.
This research will compare three groups of children born in the spring (March–May): before the pandemic (2015–2016), during lockdown (2020), and after lockdown (2021). The study will analyze the age at which these children were first hospitalized for a wheezing respiratory episode.
If children born during lockdown develop fewer respiratory episodes between the ages of 1 and 3, it would support the "viral" theory. This would reinforce the importance of preventive strategies against infant viral infections, such as preventive treatments for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), the primary cause of bronchiolitis.
La Fondation La Petite Etoile is participating in this project, which aims to calculate the impact of reduced respiratory virus circulation during the COVID-19 pandemic on wheezing exacerbations in preschool children.
Location : within the HeKA unit, a joint project-team composed of researchers, clinical academics, and professors from Inria, Inserm (U1346), Université Paris Cité (located at PariSanté Campus, Issy-les-Moulineaux), and the AP-HP (Paris Public Hospital System), in collaboration with departments from the Georges Pompidou European Hospital, Necker Hospital, and the Imagine Institute.
Total Budget : € 48,235
Co-participants : Fondation La Petite Etoile, Fondation du Souffle (The Breath Foundation), SPLF (French-Language Respiratory Society)
Funding provided by Fondation La Petite Etoile : € 6,000