Gender-specific presentations for asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema in primary care.
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.
Osman
Mustafa
M
Department of Child Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZG, UK. m.osman@abdn.ac.uk
Hansell
Anna L
AL
Simpson
Colin R
CR
Hollowell
Jennifer
J
Helms
Peter J
PJ
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