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Food allergy as a risk factor for life-threatening asthma in childhood: a case-controlled study

Food allergy as a risk factor for life-threatening asthma in childhood: a case-controlled study
Food allergy as a risk factor for life-threatening asthma in childhood: a case-controlled study
Background: No objective clinical risk factors exist for pediatric life-threatening asthma.
Objectives: In this study, we address whether persistent food allergy and degree of atopy are risk factors for life-threatening asthma.
Methods: By use of a case-controlled design, children (1-16 years) ventilated for an exacerbation of asthma were enrolled. Each case was matched by sex, age, and ethnicity, with 2 controls who had attended with a non–life-threatening exacerbation. All subjects were assessed by means of a questionnaire, spirometry, and skin prick or RAST testing. The data were analyzed by conditional logistic regression.
Results: Nineteen cases and 38 controls were enrolled. Compared with controls, cases were found to have the following risk factors: food allergy (odds ratio, 8.58; 95% CI, 1.85-39.71), multiple allergic diagnoses (4.42; 1.17-16.71), early onset of asthma (6.48; 1.36-30.85), and frequent admissions (14.2; 1.77-113.59). After regression analysis, only frequent admission with asthma (9.85; 1.04-93.27) and food allergy (5.89; 1.06-32.61) were independently associated with life-threatening asthma. Half the cases had food allergy compared with only 10% of controls.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that poorly controlled asthma and food allergy are significant risk factors for life-threatening asthma. More intensive management of this high-risk group of children might help to reduce future morbidity and mortality.
0091-6749
168-174
Roberts, Graham
ea00db4e-84e7-4b39-8273-9b71dbd7e2f3
Patel, Neeta
8c070b44-d1dd-4d2f-82c9-7cc428bad6a3
Levi-Schaffer, Francesca
147848ba-7918-494b-aa9b-9eb0fec6fa4f
Habibi, Parviz
0d80f69a-4154-409d-8c7d-79d9991c5045
Lack, Gideon
cac030a2-c358-4880-a91d-d67d06e8e321
Roberts, Graham
ea00db4e-84e7-4b39-8273-9b71dbd7e2f3
Patel, Neeta
8c070b44-d1dd-4d2f-82c9-7cc428bad6a3
Levi-Schaffer, Francesca
147848ba-7918-494b-aa9b-9eb0fec6fa4f
Habibi, Parviz
0d80f69a-4154-409d-8c7d-79d9991c5045
Lack, Gideon
cac030a2-c358-4880-a91d-d67d06e8e321

Roberts, Graham, Patel, Neeta, Levi-Schaffer, Francesca, Habibi, Parviz and Lack, Gideon (2003) Food allergy as a risk factor for life-threatening asthma in childhood: a case-controlled study. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 112 (1), 168-174. (doi:10.1067/mai.2003.1569).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: No objective clinical risk factors exist for pediatric life-threatening asthma.
Objectives: In this study, we address whether persistent food allergy and degree of atopy are risk factors for life-threatening asthma.
Methods: By use of a case-controlled design, children (1-16 years) ventilated for an exacerbation of asthma were enrolled. Each case was matched by sex, age, and ethnicity, with 2 controls who had attended with a non–life-threatening exacerbation. All subjects were assessed by means of a questionnaire, spirometry, and skin prick or RAST testing. The data were analyzed by conditional logistic regression.
Results: Nineteen cases and 38 controls were enrolled. Compared with controls, cases were found to have the following risk factors: food allergy (odds ratio, 8.58; 95% CI, 1.85-39.71), multiple allergic diagnoses (4.42; 1.17-16.71), early onset of asthma (6.48; 1.36-30.85), and frequent admissions (14.2; 1.77-113.59). After regression analysis, only frequent admission with asthma (9.85; 1.04-93.27) and food allergy (5.89; 1.06-32.61) were independently associated with life-threatening asthma. Half the cases had food allergy compared with only 10% of controls.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that poorly controlled asthma and food allergy are significant risk factors for life-threatening asthma. More intensive management of this high-risk group of children might help to reduce future morbidity and mortality.

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More information

Published date: 2003
Additional Information: Food and Drug Reactions and Anaphylaxis

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 27373
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/27373
ISSN: 0091-6749
PURE UUID: 66ec133c-27cf-45eb-a979-5bd085e04c41
ORCID for Graham Roberts: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2252-1248

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Date deposited: 28 Apr 2006
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:44

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Contributors

Author: Graham Roberts ORCID iD
Author: Neeta Patel
Author: Francesca Levi-Schaffer
Author: Parviz Habibi
Author: Gideon Lack

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