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The shifting prevalence of asthma and allergic disease in US children
Cynthia A Pate1, Hatice S Zahran1, Josephine Malilay1
1Asthma and Community Health Branch, Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Insights
Children with allergies are more likely to have asthma, leading to worse health outcomes. Allergy trends vary by race and ethnicity, highlighting the need for targeted interventions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
- Respiratory Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Asthma is a prevalent chronic respiratory condition in children, often co-occurring with allergies.
- Comorbid asthma and allergies in children are linked to adverse health outcomes and reduced quality of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine allergy prevalence and its association with asthma in US children.
- To identify demographic differences in allergy and asthma comorbidities.
Main Methods:
- Utilized National Health Interview Survey data from 2007-2018 for US children (0-17 years).
- Assessed asthma and allergy status, trends, and associations by select characteristics.
Main Results:
- Asthma prevalence decreased overall, but allergy trends varied by race/ethnicity (e.g., increased food allergy in White non-Hispanic and Hispanic children).
- Children with allergies were 2-8 times more likely to have asthma. Allergy was associated with increased school absences and daily medication use in asthmatic children.
Conclusions:
- Allergy trends differ across racial and ethnic groups, impacting asthma association.
- The co-occurrence of asthma and allergies, particularly multiple allergies, is linked to poorer asthma-related outcomes in children.
Background:
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that affected 5 million children. Allergy is a common comorbidity of asthma. Having both conditions is associated with unfavorable health outcomes and impaired quality of life.
Objective:
Purpose of this study was to assess allergy and its association with asthma by select characteristics among children to determine differences by populations.
Methods:
National Health Interview Survey data (2007-2018) were used to assess asthma and allergy status, trends, and the association between allergy and asthma by select characteristics among US children (aged 0-17 years).
Results:
Prevalence of asthma decreased among all children (slope [-] P < .001) and among those with allergy (slope [-] P = .002). More children had respiratory allergy (14.7%), followed by skin allergy (12.7%) and food allergy (6.4%). Prevalence of respiratory allergy significantly decreased among White non-Hispanic children (slope [-] P = .002), food allergy increased among White non-Hispanic (slope [+] P < .001) and Hispanic children (slope [+] P = .003), and skin allergy increased among Hispanic children (slope [+] P = .04). Depending on number and type, children with allergy were 2 to 8 times (skin allergy only and having all 3 allergies, respectively) more likely to have current asthma than were children without allergy. Among children with current asthma, having any allergy was significantly associated with missed school days (adjusted prevalence ratio, 1.33 [1.03-1.72]; P = .02) and taking preventive medication daily (adjusted prevalence ratio, 1.89 [1.32-2.71]; P < .001).
Conclusion:
Trends in allergies across years differed by race and ethnicity. Strength of association between asthma and allergy differed by type and number of allergies, being highest among children having all 3 types of allergies. Having both asthma and allergy was associated with unfavorable asthma outcomes.
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