title: Childhood infections and the risk of asthma: a longitudinal study over 37 years.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few studies have examined common childhood infections and adult asthma. We examined associations between childhood infectious diseases, childhood pneumonia, and current, persisting, and incident asthma to middle age.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed data from the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS). A history of pneumonia was ascertained from their parents when the TAHS participants were 7 years old. Measles, rubella, mumps, chickenpox, diphtheria, and pertussis were identified from school medical records. Associations with current, persisting, or incident asthma were examined using regression techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Greater infectious diseases load was negatively associated with persisting asthma at all ages. Individually, pertussis (adjusted OR [aOR], 0.53; 95% CI, 0.28-1.00) was negatively associated with asthma persisting to age 13 years, chickenpox (aOR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.38-0.88) was negatively associated with asthma persisting to age 32 years, and rubella was negatively associated with asthma persisting to ages 32 (aOR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.31-0.96) and 44 years (aOR 0.53; 95% CI, 0.35-0.82). Pertussis was associated with preadolescent incident asthma (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.80; 95% CI, 1.10-2.96), whereas measles was associated with adolescent incident asthma (aHR, 1.66; 1.06-2.56). Childhood pneumonia was associated with current asthma at ages 7 (aOR, 3.12; 95% CI, 2.61-3.75) and 13 years (aOR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.00-1.75), an association stronger in those without than those with eczema (aOR, 3.46; 95% CI, 2.83-4.24 vs aOR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.38-3.12).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, childhood infectious diseases protected against asthma persisting in later life, but pertussis and measles were associated with new-onset asthma after childhood. Measles and pertussis immunization might lead to a reduction in incident asthma in later life.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Molecular, Environmental, Genetic, and Analytic Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: jburgess@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Burgess
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, The Alfred, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Abramson
authors.affiliation: Centre for Molecular, Environmental, Genetic, and Analytic Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Lyle C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Gurrin
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Graham B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Byrnes
authors.affiliation: Centre for Molecular, Environmental, Genetic, and Analytic Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Melanie C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Matheson
authors.affiliation: Victorian Cervical Cytology Registry, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Cathryn L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: May
authors.affiliation: Centre for Molecular, Environmental, Genetic, and Analytic Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, VIC, Australia; Cancer Epidemiology Centre, The Cancer Council Victoria, Carlton, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Graham G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Giles
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Research Group, Menzies Research Institute, The University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia.
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Johns
authors.affiliation: Centre for Molecular, Environmental, Genetic, and Analytic Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hopper
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Research Group, Menzies Research Institute, The University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia.
authors.forename: E Haydn
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.affiliation: Centre for Molecular, Environmental, Genetic, and Analytic Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Shyamali C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Dharmage
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D004165:Diphtheria / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008457:Measles / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D009107:Mumps / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology