title: The relation of adult bronchial responsiveness to serious childhood respiratory illness in the ECRHS.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Respiratory symptoms in adulthood have been found to be associated with childhood respiratory infection, but few studies have analyzed adult bronchial responsiveness (BHR) with adequate adjustment for known risk factors.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the relation of BHR with serious childhood respiratory infections in a large population study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) was a cross-sectional population-based survey in 34 centers. Data on serious respiratory infections before the age of 5 years and possible confounders were obtained from a questionnaire administered in the clinic. Blood samples were taken for measurement of total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and specific IgE to four common allergens, and spirometry and bronchial challenge with methacholine were performed. A continuous measure of BHR was analyzed by multiple regression, in 11,282 participants, in relation to serious respiratory infection and other potential risk factors, adjusted for center and major determinants of adult BHR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Those reporting a serious childhood respiratory infection had greater BHR, by an amount corresponding to approximately 0.23 doubling doses (95% confidence interval 0.02-0.44) of the amount of methacholine causing a 20% fall (PD(20)) in forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV(1)). All childhood factors explained less than 0.3% of variation in BHR in addition to over 20% by factors measured in adulthood. The relation of BHR to BMI was confined to smokers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found an effect of serious childhood respiratory infection on adult BHR, but this was small in comparison to relations of BHR to IgE-sensitization and airway caliber.
authors.affiliation: Department Public Health Sciences, King's College London, 5th floor Capital House, 42 Weston Street, London SE1 3QD, UK. s.chinn@imperial.ac.uk
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chinn
authors.forename: Christer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Janson
authors.forename: Cecilie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Svanes
authors.forename: Shyamali
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dharmage
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jarvis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016085:Bronchoconstrictor Agents; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D014797:Vital Capacity
chemical_list: D016085:Bronchoconstrictor Agents; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D007073:Immunoglobulin E