title: Food allergy as a risk factor for life-threatening asthma in childhood: a case-controlled study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  No objective clinical risk factors exist for pediatric life-threatening asthma.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Allergy and Clinical Immunology, St Mary's Hospital, London.
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Neeta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Levi-Schaffer
authors.forename: Parviz
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Habibi
authors.forename: Gideon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lack
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens