title: Gender differences in adult-onset asthma: results from the Swiss SAPALDIA cohort study.
abstract: A higher incidence of asthma is reported in women compared with men, but evidence in later adulthood is limited. We aimed to determine the 20-year cumulative incidence of adult asthma in Switzerland and its relation to sex, taking into account age and allergic sensitisation.We assessed incidence of self-report of doctor-diagnosed asthma between 1991/1992 and 2010/2011 in 5128 subjects without asthma, aged 18-60 years at baseline. The age-related probability of asthma onset was analysed by logistic regression adjusting for potential confounders and stratified by sex and allergic sensitisation at baseline.Over 20 years, 128 (5.1%) men and 198 (7.5%) women newly reported doctor-diagnosed asthma. The adjusted odds ratio for female sex was 1.99 (95% CI 1.54-2.57) overall, 3.21 (95% CI 2.12-4.85) among nonsensitised subjects, and 1.43 (95% CI 1.02-2.02) in sensitised subjects. The probability of asthma onset decreased with increasing baseline age in women but not in men. The higher probability of new asthma in sensitised compared with nonsensitised men was unrelated to age, whereas in women it decreased with age.Asthma incidence was higher in women than in men but decreased with increasing age. The female predominance was considerably stronger in nonsensitised adults compared with those with allergic sensitisation.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.affiliation: Dept of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Probst-Hensch
authors.affiliation: Dept of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Keidel
authors.affiliation: Dept of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dratva
authors.affiliation: Lungenpraxis, Medizinische Klinik Hirslanden, Aarau, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bettschart
authors.affiliation: Sede Civico, Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, Lugano, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pons
authors.affiliation: Dept for Internal Medicine, Hôpital Intercantonal de la Broye, Payerne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Burdet
authors.affiliation: Service de Pneumologie, Hôpital du Valais (RSV), Centre Hospitalier du Valais Romand, Sion, Switzerland Division of Pulmonary Medicine, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Pierre-Olivier
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Bridevaux
authors.affiliation: Dept of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schikowski
authors.affiliation: Dept of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schindler
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary Medicine, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rochat
authors.affiliation: Dept of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland Elisabeth.Zemp@unibas.ch.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zemp
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity; D015994:Incidence; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012882:Skin Tests; D012907:Smoking; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult