title: Comorbidity and Multimorbidity of Asthma and Allergy and Intolerance to Chemicals and Certain Buildings.
abstract: We tested the hypothesis of high comorbidity between asthma/allergy and chemical intolerance (CI) and between asthma/allergy and building intolerance (BI), and high multimorbidity between asthma/allergy, CI, and BI.
  
  
  
  Population-based questionnaire data were used from 530 participants with asthma/allergy (allergic asthma, nonallergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, and/or atopic dermatitis), 414 with self-reported and 112 with physician-diagnosed CI, and 165 with self-reported and 47 with physician-diagnosed BI. Separate reference groups were formed for each of the five case groups.
  
  
  
  Adjusted odds ratios varied from 4.6 to 13.1 for comorbidity, and from 6.6 to 46.4 for multimorbidity.
  
  
  
  The large comorbidity and multimorbidity between asthma/allergy, CI, and BI evokes the question as to whether there are similarities in underlying mechanisms between these conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå (Drs Lind, Söderholm, Palmquist, Andersson, Nordin); Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Dr Lind); Department of Occupational and Public Health Sciences, University of Gävle, Gävle (Dr Andersson); and Asthma and Allergy Research Group, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden (Dr Millqvist).
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Söderholm
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Palmquist
authors.forename: Linus
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Millqvist
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nordin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018777:Multiple Chemical Sensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018877:Sick Building Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires