title: Gender-specific presentations for asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema in primary care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify age- and gender-specific prevalence rates for physician-diagnosed asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR) and eczema across a whole lifespan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Presentations of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema were identified in individuals aged 0 to 65 who consulted their general practitioner at least once in 1998-99 from a population sample of 266,733 in Scotland, and in 1991-95 for asthma and allergic rhinitis in 6,836,063 person years at risk in England and Wales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In both sexes asthma presentations peak at 4-6 years whilst eczema peaks in infancy. A second asthma peak occurs during adolescence, earlier in females, at a time when a female predominance for all three atopic diseases is established. Female predominance of eczema presentations are limited to the reproductive period of 15-49 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The patterns of presentations for asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema by age and gender suggest important gender-specific differences in disease predisposition and diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZG, UK. m.osman@abdn.ac.uk
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Osman
authors.forename: Anna L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hansell
authors.forename: Colin R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hollowell
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Helms
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004485:Eczema / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012737:Sex Factors