Incidence rates of asthma, rhinitis and eczema symptoms and influential factors in young children in Sweden

• Aim: To estimate the incidence rates for asthma, rhinitis and eczema symptoms and to investigate the importance of different influential factors for the incidence of these symptoms. Methods: The Dampness in Building and Health study commenced in the year 2000 in Värmland, Sweden with a parental questionnaire based on an ISAAC protocol to all children in the age of 1–6 years. Five years later a follow-up questionnaire was sent to the children that were 1–3 years at baseline. In total, 4779 children (response rate = 73%) participated in both surveys and constitute the study population in this cohort study. Results: The 5-year incidence of doctor-diagnosed asthma was 4.9% (95% CI 4.3–5.3), rhinitis was 5.7% (5.0–6.4) and eczema was 13.4% (12.3–14.5). However, incidence rates strongly depend on the health status of the baseline population. Risk factors for incident asthma were male gender and short period of breast-feeding. Allergic symptoms in parents were also a strong risk factor for incident asthma, as well as for rhinitis and eczema. Conclusion: When comparing incident rates of asthma between different studies it is important to realize that different definitions of the healthy baseline population will give rise to different incident rates.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Baseline group

Children

Incidence

Influential factors

Public health science

Folkhälsovetenskap

Public Health Science

Folkhälsovetenskap

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

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