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[Are the left-handed more often allergic?].
M Lelong1, F Thelliez, P Thelliez
1Service de Pédiatrie Centre Hospitalier, Lens.
Allergie Et Immunologie
|October 1, 1986
Summary
Children with mite allergies are more likely to be non-right-handed, especially boys. This suggests a potential link between handedness, allergies, and sex-linked developmental factors.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Allergology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Non-right-handedness, encompassing left-handedness and mixed-handedness, is observed in a subset of the population.
- Allergies, particularly those triggered by mites, affect a significant portion of children.
- Existing hypotheses suggest potential links between immune system development and brain lateralization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of non-right-handedness in children with mite allergies compared to a general school population.
- To explore potential sex differences in the association between non-right-handedness and mite allergies.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study was conducted using consistent clinical evaluation criteria.
- Prevalence of non-right-handedness was assessed in two groups of children: a general school population and children diagnosed with mite allergies.
- Statistical analysis, including p-value calculation, was used to determine the significance of observed differences.
Main Results:
- A significantly higher prevalence of non-right-handedness was found in children with mite allergies (24.32%) compared to the general school population (11.9%) (p < 0.001).
- Non-right-handedness was more prevalent in boys with mite allergies (28.50%) than in girls with mite allergies (14.20%).
Conclusions:
- Children with mite allergies exhibit a higher frequency of non-right-handedness than their non-allergic peers.
- The observed association is more pronounced in boys, hinting at potential sex-linked biological mechanisms influencing both handedness and immune system regulation.