Environmental factors, parental atopy and atopic eczema in primary-school childr

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Environmental factors, parental atopy and atopic eczema in primary-

school children: a cross-sectional study in Taiwan.

April 13th, 2008

http://www.eczemaletters.com/2008/04/13/environmental-factors-

parental-atopy-and-atopic-eczema-in-primary-school-children-a-cross-

sectional-study-in-taiwan/

Environmental factors, parental atopy and atopic eczema in primary-

school children: a cross-sectional study in Taiwan.

Br J Dermatol. 2007 Dec;157(6):1217-24

Authors: Lee YL, Li CW, Sung FC, Yu HS, Sheu HM, Guo YL

BACKGROUND: Parental atopy and environmental exposure are recognized

risk factors for atopic eczema (AE) in childhood. However, the

relative contributions of specific risk factors and the overall

contributions of hereditary and environmental exposure remain

unexplored. OBJECTIVES: To identify risk factors, estimate the

population attributable risk (PAR) of environmental exposure, and

compare the AE data for boys vs. girls in primary-school children.

METHODS: During a February to June 2001 cross-sectional, Taiwan-

based questionnaire survey, we investigated 23 980 children from 22

primary schools, all located within 1 km of an air-monitoring

station. RESULTS: The 12-month prevalence of AE was reported as 6.1%

in boys and 4.9% in girls. In both sexes, the risk of AE was

strongly associated with parental atopy and perceived ambient air

pollution. The presence of cockroaches [odds ratio (OR) 1.18, 95%

confidence interval (CI) 1.00-1.40] and visible mould on walls at

home (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.22-1.70) were also significantly related to

AE for girls; however, only visible mould on walls (and not the

presence of cockroaches) at home was related to AE for boys (OR

1.40, 95% CI 1.18-1.66). While mutually adjusted models were

applied, we found adjusted ORs and PARs were similar in boys and

girls in hereditary and outdoor environmental factors. The PAR of

indoor environmental factors was higher in girls (8.4%) than in boys

(5.5%). There was no interaction between parental atopy and

environmental factors. CONCLUSIONS: Parental atopy contributed more

to AE than indoor or outdoor environmental factors. Girls may be

more susceptible to indoor environmental factors than boys.

PMID: 17916197 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]