Parental smoking and other risk factors for wheezing bronchitis in children.
A population-based case-control study was performed to investigate etiologic factors for wheezing bronchitis and asthma in children up to four years of age. A total of 199 children hospitalized for the first time with these diagnoses at a major hospital in Stockholm in 1986-1988 constituted the cases, 351 children from the catchment area of the hospital were used as controls. Information on known and suspected risk factors was obtained through home interviews with a parent. Parental smoking was associated with a relative risk of 1.8 (95% confidence interval 1.3-2.6) corresponding to a population attributable proportion of 27%. The strongest association was seen for maternal smoking and children below 18 months of age. Other major risk factors included atopic heredity, recurrent upper respiratory tract infections and breast-feeding less than 3 months, which appeared to interact multiplicatively with parental smoking. The environmental factors had a stronger influence in the youngest age group, and the overall attributable proportion associated with parental smoking, short breast-feeding period and exposure to pets in the household was 43%. It is clear that successful primary prevention could dramatically reduce the incidence of wheezing bronchitis in children.
Rylander
E
E
Department of Epidemiology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Pershagen
G
G
Eriksson
M
M
Nordvall
L
L
D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution