It is children with atopic dermatitis who develop asthma more frequently if the mother smokes.
We elicited symptoms of atopic dermatitis (AD) and of asthma from 620 children who were themselves nonsmokers, were aged 1 to 17 years, and had been consecutively referred to an allergy clinic. A histamine bronchial-challenge test revealed bronchial hyperresponsiveness in 95% of the children who had a history of wheezing or asthma and who could perform the test reliably, indicating that most of them did indeed have asthma. Children with a history of AD were much more likely to have asthma if the mother was a smoker than if she was a nonsmoker (79% versus 52%; p = 0.001). Similarly, if AD was found on examination, the percentages with asthma were 74% and 44%, respectively. By contrast, the children with no history of AD had asthma as frequently if the mother was a nonsmoker (42%) as when she was a smoker (40%). In children with AD, the prevalence of asthma was greater in both boys and girls when the mother was a smoker, but only in boys when the father was a smoker. Multiple logistic regression confirmed that the risk of asthma was greatly increased when the child had both AD and a mother who smoked.
Murray
A B
AB
Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Morrison
B J
BJ
D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006632:Histamine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012882:Skin Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D006632:Histamine