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Published on: August 7, 2017
It is children with atopic dermatitis who develop asthma more frequently if the mother smokes
1Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Insights
Maternal smoking significantly increases asthma risk in children with atopic dermatitis (AD). Even without AD, maternal smoking shows a slight association with asthma in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
- Environmental Health
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Atopic dermatitis (AD) and asthma are common allergic conditions in children.
- The influence of environmental factors, such as maternal smoking, on the co-occurrence of these conditions requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal smoking and the prevalence of asthma in children with and without atopic dermatitis.
- To explore the impact of parental smoking on asthma risk in pediatric patients referred to an allergy clinic.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 620 children (aged 1-17 years) referred to an allergy clinic were assessed for atopic dermatitis symptoms and asthma.
- Histamine bronchial-challenge tests were used to confirm bronchial hyperresponsiveness, indicative of asthma.
- Logistic regression analysis was employed to determine risk factors for asthma.
Main Results:
- Children with atopic dermatitis had a significantly higher prevalence of asthma when their mothers were smokers (79%) compared to when mothers were nonsmokers (52%).
- This association was also observed when atopic dermatitis was clinically diagnosed (74% vs. 44%).
- Children without a history of atopic dermatitis showed similar asthma prevalence regardless of maternal smoking status (42% vs. 40%).
Conclusions:
- Maternal smoking is a significant risk factor for developing asthma in children, particularly those with atopic dermatitis.
- The findings highlight the importance of parental smoking cessation in reducing the burden of allergic respiratory diseases in children.
Abstract:
We elicited symptoms of atopic dermatitis (AD) and of asthma from 620 children who were themselves nonsmokers, were aged 1 to 17 years, and had been consecutively referred to an allergy clinic. A histamine bronchial-challenge test revealed bronchial hyperresponsiveness in 95% of the children who had a history of wheezing or asthma and who could perform the test reliably, indicating that most of them did indeed have asthma. Children with a history of AD were much more likely to have asthma if the mother was a smoker than if she was a nonsmoker (79% versus 52%; p = 0.001). Similarly, if AD was found on examination, the percentages with asthma were 74% and 44%, respectively. By contrast, the children with no history of AD had asthma as frequently if the mother was a nonsmoker (42%) as when she was a smoker (40%). In children with AD, the prevalence of asthma was greater in both boys and girls when the mother was a smoker, but only in boys when the father was a smoker. Multiple logistic regression confirmed that the risk of asthma was greatly increased when the child had both AD and a mother who smoked.
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