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Childhood asthma and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in adulthood: The Busselton Health Study
Christopher A C M Ng1,2, Matthew W Knuiman3, Kevin Murray3
1Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Insights
Childhood asthma does not increase the risk of adult cardiovascular disease (CVD) events or mortality. This long-term study found no significant association between childhood asthma and later-life heart health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
- Pediatric Medicine
Background:
- Limited research exists on long-term adult outcomes beyond respiratory issues for childhood asthma.
- This study addresses the gap by investigating childhood asthma's link to adult cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between a history of childhood asthma and the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and mortality in adulthood.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 4430 individuals, identified at age 17 between 1967-1983, was analyzed.
- Childhood asthma was self-reported; CVD events and mortality up to 2014 were tracked via data linkage.
- Cox regression models assessed the impact of childhood asthma on adult CVD outcomes.
Main Results:
- 10% of the cohort had childhood asthma; 867 experienced CVD events and 22 died from CVD during follow-up.
- Childhood asthma showed no significant association with overall adult CVD events (HR 1.12, p=0.2833).
- No association was found with specific conditions like coronary heart disease, heart failure, or CVD mortality.
Conclusions:
- Childhood asthma is not linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease events in adulthood.
- The findings suggest that childhood asthma does not predispose individuals to adult cardiovascular morbidity or mortality.
Background:
Long-term childhood asthma studies that investigate adult outcomes other than respiratory morbidity are lacking. This study examines the associations of childhood asthma and the occurrence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and mortality in adulthood.
Methods:
A cohort of 4430 school children (aged 17 years) who attended the Busselton Health Study between 1967 and 1983 were analyzed. Self-reported history of doctor-diagnosed asthma was determined based on the questionnaire. Subsequent CVD events (hospital admissions or death) up to 2014 were identified using the Western Australia Data Linkage System. Cox regression models were used to investigate the impact of childhood asthma on CVD events and mortality in adulthood. A subgroup of 2153 participants who re-attended a survey in young adulthood was also analyzed.
Results:
A total of 462 (10%) of the cohort had childhood asthma. During follow-up, 867 participants experienced a CVD event and 22 participants died from CVD. Childhood asthma was not associated with the risk of CVD events in adulthood (HR, 1.12; 95% CI: 0.91-1.39; p = .2833) and this persisted after adjustment for confounders. Childhood asthma was not associated with coronary heart disease events (HR, 0.72; 95% CI: 0.40-1.30; p = .2761), heart failure events (HR, 0.55; 95% CI: 0.07-4.13; p = .5604) or CVD mortality (HR, 0.91; 95% CI: 0.21-3.89; p = .8987) in adulthood.
Conclusion:
Childhood asthma is not associated with the risk of CVD events and mortality in adulthood.
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