title: The association between irregular menstruations and acne with asthma and atopy phenotypes.
abstract: Earlier menarche and irregular periods, among other markers of sex-hormone levels, have been associated with a higher risk of asthma and allergic diseases. This has suggested an etiologic role of sex hormones in the development of these conditions. The authors investigated the association of age at menarche, irregular periods, duration of menstruation, and acne with reported medical history of asthma and/or atopy (hay fever and/or eczema/urticaria) in a historical cohort of students born before the rise in asthma prevalence in the United Kingdom and attending university in 1948-1968. Finding consistent associations in a cohort that has experienced different life-course exposures and has different confounding structure can help to identify causal associations. In the Glasgow Alumni Cohort, irregular periods were associated with atopic asthma (multinomial odds ratio (MOR) = 2.79, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.33, 5.83) and atopy alone (MOR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.84) but not with nonatopic asthma (MOR = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.45, 2.30), compared with students reporting no asthma and no atopy. The authors found no association with acne, a marker of high testosterone levels, that they hypothesized could point to polycystic ovary syndrome underpinning these associations. In summary, the authors found evidence for a potentially etiologic role of irregular menstruations with some specific asthma phenotypes, namely, atopic asthma and atopy, but not with nonatopic asthma.
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. bruna.galobardes@bristol.ac.uk
authors.forename: Bruna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Galobardes
authors.forename: Sumaiya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeffreys
authors.forename: George Davey
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000152:Acne Vulgaris / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D000465:Algorithms; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D004485:Eczema / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008572:Menarche; D008599:Menstruation Disturbances / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014495:Universities; D014581:Urticaria / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones