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- Bråbäck, Lennart, et al.
(författare)
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Atopy among schoolchildren in northern and southern Sweden in relation to pet ownership and early life events
- 2001
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Ingår i: Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. - : Wiley. - 0905-6157 .- 1399-3038. ; 12:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Studies have suggested a higher prevalence of asthma and allergies in northern, as compared to southern. Scandinavia. The aim of this study was to evaluate regional differences in atopy in relation to pet ownership and certain early life events among schoolchildren. (n=2108) aged 10-11 years from Link÷ping in southern Sweden and ╓stersund in northern Sweden. The parents completed a questionnaire, comprising questions on home environment, heredity, socio-economic conditions, and the core questions on symptoms from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. The children were skin-prick tested to eight common inhalant allergens. Information on maternal smoking habits, gestational age, and anthropometric measures were obtained from the Swedish Medical Birth Registry. The prevalence of atopic symptoms and sensitization to pollen were similar in ╓stersund and in Link÷ping. A higher prevalence of sensitization to animal dander among children in ╓stersund could be linked to a higher occurrence of pets in the community. Current cat ownership was related to less sensitivity to cat allergen but only in children with an atopic heredity. Ponderal index >30 kg/m3 was related to an increased risk of atopic sensitization, both in Link÷ping (adjusted odds ratio 2.1, 95% confidence interval 1.1-4.0) and in ╓stersund (adjusted odds ratio 2.0, 95% confidence interval 1.1-3.5). Maternal smoking during pregnancy was related to an increased risk of atopic sensitization among children in Link÷ping, whereas current smoking was associated with a decreased risk of sensitization in -stersund. In conclusion, we demonstrated that a high occurrence of pets in the community was associated with sensitization, whereas atopic symptoms were essentially unaffected. This study has also suggested an association between body size at birth and atopic sensitization at 10-11 years of age.
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| 2. |
- Mai, Xiaomei, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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High body mass index, asthma and allergy in Swedish schoolchildren participating in the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood : phase II
- 2003
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Ingår i: Acta Paediatrica. - 0803-5253 .- 1651-2227. ; 92:10, s. 1144-1148
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: To assess the relationship between high body mass index (BMI) and asthma and atopic manifestations in 12-y-old children.Methods: The relationship between high BMI and asthma symptoms was studied in 457 sixth-grade children, with (n= 161) and without (n= 296) current wheeze. High BMI was defined as ±75th percentile of gender-specific BMI reference values for Swedish children at 12 y of age; overweight as a subgroup of high BMI was defined as ±95th percentile. Children with a BMI >75th percentile served as controls. Questionnaires were used to assess asthmatic and allergic symptoms, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness was assessed by hypertonic saline provocation tests.Results: Current wheeze was associated with high BMI after adjustment for confounding factors (adjusted OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.0–2.5) and overweight had an even more pronounced effect (adjusted OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.0–3.6). In addition, asthma severity was associated with high BMI, as evaluated by the number of wheezing episodes during the previous 12 mo among the wheezing children (adjusted OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.0–4.0). There was also an association between high BMI and the presence of eczema in wheezing children (adjusted OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.0–4.6). However, high BMI was not significantly associated with hay fever, positive skin prick tests or bronchial hyperresponsiveness.Conclusion: The study confirms and extends a previously observed relationship between BMI and the presence of wheezing and asthma.
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