A case-control study on the effect of food allergies on childhood asthma / 公共卫生与预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective To analyze the effects of food allergies on asthma in children over 6 years old in Zhongshan. Methods A case-control study was designed. 279 children over 6 years old with asthma diagnosed in Boai Hospital of Zhongshan were enrolled as the case group, and 980 children without asthma from primary school were enrolled as the control group. The food allergy exposure, other related risk factors, and food allergy characteristics of the two groups were retrospectively analyzed. Logistic regression was used to analyze the OR values ​​of each factor. Results The asthma children's food allergy, family asthma history, family medicine and food allergy history, artificial feeding, adding beef and mutton or seafood before the age of one year, and frequent consumption of puffed foods such as shrimp chips were significantly higher than those of non-asthmatic children. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, food allergy (OR=3.143, P<0.001), artificial feeding (OR=3.045, P<0.001), family history of asthma (OR=2.250, P<0.001) remained significantly in the multivariate model. For food allergies, children with asthma had more types of food allergies than children without asthma (P<0.001), and had a higher proportion of allergies to milk and eggs (P<0.001). There were higher proportion of introduction of beef and mutton and seafood before 1 year old (P<0.001), and higher proportion of frequently consuming puffed foods (P<0.001) in children with asthma than children without asthma, while the rate of desensitization treatment was lower (P<0.001). Conclusion Food allergy may be an independent risk factor for asthma. Children with asthma had a variety of allergies associated with food allergies. Desensitization treatment for food allergies may reduce the risk of asthma.