Parental TB associated with offspring asthma and rhinitis

• BACKGROUND: Infections in early life are associated with asthma and allergies in one-generation settings; however, the link between parental infection and offspring phenotype is rarely investigated. We aim to study the association of parental TB before conception of the offspring with offspring asthma and rhinitis.METHODS: We included 2,965 offspring born in 1985- 2004 and registered in the Norwegian prescription database to 1,790 parents born after 1960 with a history of TB, and included in the Norwegian TB registry. Offspring asthma (n = 582) and rhinitis (n = 929) were defined based on diagnosis, type of medication and prescribed medication >1 year. Associations of parental TB ,8 years, >8 years but before offsprings birth year and after birth (reference category) with offspring asthma and rhinitis were analysed using logistic regression.RESULTS: Asthma risk was higher in persons with parental TB in childhood (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.20- 2.50) or later preconception (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.00- 1.91) than in persons with parental TB after offsprings birth; this was significant only in the maternal line (childhood: OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.13-3.37; later precon-ception: OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.08-2.80). Associations with rhinitis were not identified.CONCLUSIONS: Parental childhood TB was associated with higher asthma risk in future offspring. We speculate that TB impacts maternal immunity , dysregulates the offsprings type 2 immunity , that TB-induced epigenetic reprograming of immune defences are trans-ferred to the offspring.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Lungmedicin och allergi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Respiratory Medicine and Allergy (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

infections; preconception; intergenera-tional; NCDs

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)