title: The Prevalence of Allergic Diseases in Poland - the Results of the PMSEAD Study in Relation to Gender Differences.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Males and females exhibit different susceptibility to allergic diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to evaluate gender-related differences in the prevalence of allergic diseases in Poland.
  
  
  METHODS
  To evaluate this problem, data from the Polish Multicenter Study of the Epidemiology of Allergic Diseases (PMSEAD) was analyzed. There were assessed 16,238 individuals, aged 3 to 80 years, among them 12,970 adults and 3,268 children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In adults the prevalence of asthma was 5.4%, seasonal allergic rhinitis 8.5%, persistent allergic rhinitis 3.0%, atopic dermatitis 1.6%, contact dermatitis 2.0%, and drug allergy 8.6%. In children asthma was diagnosed in 8.6% of the individuals assessed, seasonal allergic rhinitis in 8.6%, persistent allergic rhinitis in 2.1%, atopic dermatitis in 4.7%, contact dermatitis in 1.1% and drug allergy in 8.9%. Among the children in the sample, significantly higher prevalence rates were found in boys than in girls for asthma (10.9% vs. 6.3%; OR = 1.81; p < 0.001), seasonal allergic rhinitis (9.8% vs 7.4%; OR = 1.37, p = 0.018) and persistent allergic rhinitis (2.6% vs. 1.5%; OR = 1.74, p = 0.029). When comparing the differences by gender among adults, there was a lower proportion of male than female subjects suffering from asthma (4.9% vs. 5.8%; OR = 0.83, p = 0.018), seasonal allergic rhinitis (7.6% vs. 9.3%; OR = 0.81, p = 0.001), atopic dermatitis (1.1% vs. 2.0%; OR = 0.53, p < 0.001), contact dermatitis (1.1% vs. 2.8%; OR = 0.39; p < 0.001) and drug allergy (5.1% vs. 11.6%; OR = 0.41, p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The opposite susceptibility to allergic diseases among children and adults may indicate that sex hormones play an important role in this phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: Department and Clinic of Internal Diseases, Geriatry and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland.
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liebhart
authors.affiliation: Department and Clinic of Internal Diseases, Geriatry and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland.
authors.forename: Rafał
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dobek
authors.affiliation: Department and Clinic of Internal Diseases, Geriatry and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland.
authors.forename: Józef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Małolepszy
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Statistics, National Institute of Hygiene, Warszawa, Poland.
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wojtyniak
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases - Rabka Branch, Rabka-Zdrój, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pisiewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Pneumonology and Allergology, Military Institute of Medicine, Warszawa, Poland.
authors.forename: Tadeusz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Płusa
authors.affiliation: Institute of Computer Science, University of Wrocław, Poland.
authors.forename: Urszula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gładysz