Childhood environment and adult atopy: Results from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey

Cecilie Svanes; Deborah Jarvis; Susan Chinn; Peter Burney

doi:10.1016/s0091-6749(99)70465-3

Childhood environment and adult atopy: Results from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey

Cecilie Svanes^*, Deborah Jarvis, Susan Chinn, Peter Burney

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

230 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Previous literature has indicated that environmental exposures in childhood influence development of atopic sensitization. Objective: We sought to study the association between childhood environment and adult atopy. Methods: Thirteen thousand nine hundred thirty-two subjects aged 20 to 44 years from 36 areas in Europe, New Zealand, the United States, and Australia took part in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, answering interviewer-led questionnaires and providing blood tests for measurement of specific IgE to grass, house dust mite, cat, and Cladosporium allergens. Results: Atopy was negatively associated with family size (OR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.90-0.96 per 1 sib), partly attributable to an independent protective effect of a greater number of brothers (OR = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.89-0.95 per 1 brother). Accounting for total number of siblings, no further influence was detected for number of older or younger siblings. Bedroom sharing was associated with a lower prevalence of atopy, particularly to cat allergen. A protective effect of family size and bedroom shar-ing could only be detected in subjects reporting no parental allergy (family size, test for interaction P = .012). The presence of a dog in the home in childhood was negatively associated with adult atopy (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.78-0.92), an effect that remained after adjustment for parental allergy, sibling allergy, and adult pet ownership. Conclusion: Subjects from large families with brothers, shared bedrooms, and dogs in childhood were less often atopic as adults. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that infectious agents could inhibit development of atopy during childhood. However, in subjects with a strong genetic predisposition, environmental factors in childhood are possibly of less importance.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	415-420
Number of pages	6
Journal	Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Volume	103
Issue number	3 II
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/s0091-6749(99)70465-3
Publication status	Published - 1999
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Supported by the European Commission. The following grants helped to fund the local studies: Australia, Allen and Hanbury’s, Australia; Belgium, Belgian Science Policy Office, National Fund for Scientific Research; France, Ministère de la Santé, Glaxo France, Institut Pneumologique d’Aquitaine, Contrat de Plan Etat-Région Languedoc-Rousillon, CNMATS, CNMRT (90MR/10, 91AF/6), Ministre delegué de la santé, RNSP; Germany: GSF, and the Bundesminister für Forschung und Technologie, Bonn; Greece, The Greek Secretary General of Research and Technology, Fisons, Astra and Boehringer-Ingelheim; India, Bombay Hospital Trust; Italy, Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica, CNR, Regione Veneto grant RSF n. 381/05.93; New Zealand, Asthma Foundation of New Zealand, Lotteries Grant Board, Health Research Council of New Zealand; Norway, Norwegian Research Council project no. 101422/310; Portugal, Glaxo Farmacêutica Lda, Sandoz Portugesa; Spain, Ministero Sanidad y Consumo FIS grants #91/0016060/00E-05E and #93/0393, and grants from Hospital General de Albacete, Hospital General Juan Ramón Jiménenz, Consejeria de Sanidad Principado de Asturias; Sweden, The Swedish Medical Research Council, the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation, the Swedish Association against Asthma and Allergy; Switzerland, Swiss National Science Foundation grant 4026-28099; United Kingdom, National Asthma Campaign, British Lung Foundation, Department of Health, South Thames Regional Health Authority; USA, United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare Public Health Service Grant #2 S07 RR05521-28.

Funding Information:
We thank Seif Shaheen for valuable discussions and Jonathan Sterne for preparing the program used for metaanalyses in Stata. The coordination of this work was supported by the European Commission and we are grateful to the late Colette Baya and Dr Manuel Hallen for their help during the study and to Professor K. Vuylsteek and the members of the COMAC for their support.

Keywords

Atopy
Childhood
European Community Respiratory Health Survey
Family size

Access to Document

10.1016/s0091-6749(99)70465-3

Cite this

@article{9a59db7b289c4c3d92d42ba64186358b,

title = "Childhood environment and adult atopy: Results from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey",

abstract = "Background: Previous literature has indicated that environmental exposures in childhood influence development of atopic sensitization. Objective: We sought to study the association between childhood environment and adult atopy. Methods: Thirteen thousand nine hundred thirty-two subjects aged 20 to 44 years from 36 areas in Europe, New Zealand, the United States, and Australia took part in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, answering interviewer-led questionnaires and providing blood tests for measurement of specific IgE to grass, house dust mite, cat, and Cladosporium allergens. Results: Atopy was negatively associated with family size (OR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.90-0.96 per 1 sib), partly attributable to an independent protective effect of a greater number of brothers (OR = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.89-0.95 per 1 brother). Accounting for total number of siblings, no further influence was detected for number of older or younger siblings. Bedroom sharing was associated with a lower prevalence of atopy, particularly to cat allergen. A protective effect of family size and bedroom shar-ing could only be detected in subjects reporting no parental allergy (family size, test for interaction P = .012). The presence of a dog in the home in childhood was negatively associated with adult atopy (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.78-0.92), an effect that remained after adjustment for parental allergy, sibling allergy, and adult pet ownership. Conclusion: Subjects from large families with brothers, shared bedrooms, and dogs in childhood were less often atopic as adults. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that infectious agents could inhibit development of atopy during childhood. However, in subjects with a strong genetic predisposition, environmental factors in childhood are possibly of less importance.",

keywords = "Atopy, Childhood, European Community Respiratory Health Survey, Family size",

author = "Cecilie Svanes and Deborah Jarvis and Susan Chinn and Peter Burney",

note = "Funding Information: Supported by the European Commission. The following grants helped to fund the local studies: Australia, Allen and Hanbury{\textquoteright}s, Australia; Belgium, Belgian Science Policy Office, National Fund for Scientific Research; France, Minist{\`e}re de la Sant{\'e}, Glaxo France, Institut Pneumologique d{\textquoteright}Aquitaine, Contrat de Plan Etat-R{\'e}gion Languedoc-Rousillon, CNMATS, CNMRT (90MR/10, 91AF/6), Ministre delegu{\'e} de la sant{\'e}, RNSP; Germany: GSF, and the Bundesminister f{\"u}r Forschung und Technologie, Bonn; Greece, The Greek Secretary General of Research and Technology, Fisons, Astra and Boehringer-Ingelheim; India, Bombay Hospital Trust; Italy, Ministero dell{\textquoteright}Universit{\`a} e della Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica, CNR, Regione Veneto grant RSF n. 381/05.93; New Zealand, Asthma Foundation of New Zealand, Lotteries Grant Board, Health Research Council of New Zealand; Norway, Norwegian Research Council project no. 101422/310; Portugal, Glaxo Farmac{\^e}utica Lda, Sandoz Portugesa; Spain, Ministero Sanidad y Consumo FIS grants #91/0016060/00E-05E and #93/0393, and grants from Hospital General de Albacete, Hospital General Juan Ram{\'o}n Jim{\'e}nenz, Consejeria de Sanidad Principado de Asturias; Sweden, The Swedish Medical Research Council, the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation, the Swedish Association against Asthma and Allergy; Switzerland, Swiss National Science Foundation grant 4026-28099; United Kingdom, National Asthma Campaign, British Lung Foundation, Department of Health, South Thames Regional Health Authority; USA, United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare Public Health Service Grant #2 S07 RR05521-28. Funding Information: We thank Seif Shaheen for valuable discussions and Jonathan Sterne for preparing the program used for metaanalyses in Stata. The coordination of this work was supported by the European Commission and we are grateful to the late Colette Baya and Dr Manuel Hallen for their help during the study and to Professor K. Vuylsteek and the members of the COMAC for their support. ",

year = "1999",

doi = "10.1016/s0091-6749(99)70465-3",

language = "English",

volume = "103",

pages = "415--420",

journal = "Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology",

issn = "0091-6749",

publisher = "Elsevier Inc.",

number = "3 II",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Childhood environment and adult atopy

T2 - Results from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey

AU - Svanes, Cecilie

AU - Jarvis, Deborah

AU - Chinn, Susan

AU - Burney, Peter

N1 - Funding Information: Supported by the European Commission. The following grants helped to fund the local studies: Australia, Allen and Hanbury’s, Australia; Belgium, Belgian Science Policy Office, National Fund for Scientific Research; France, Ministère de la Santé, Glaxo France, Institut Pneumologique d’Aquitaine, Contrat de Plan Etat-Région Languedoc-Rousillon, CNMATS, CNMRT (90MR/10, 91AF/6), Ministre delegué de la santé, RNSP; Germany: GSF, and the Bundesminister für Forschung und Technologie, Bonn; Greece, The Greek Secretary General of Research and Technology, Fisons, Astra and Boehringer-Ingelheim; India, Bombay Hospital Trust; Italy, Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica, CNR, Regione Veneto grant RSF n. 381/05.93; New Zealand, Asthma Foundation of New Zealand, Lotteries Grant Board, Health Research Council of New Zealand; Norway, Norwegian Research Council project no. 101422/310; Portugal, Glaxo Farmacêutica Lda, Sandoz Portugesa; Spain, Ministero Sanidad y Consumo FIS grants #91/0016060/00E-05E and #93/0393, and grants from Hospital General de Albacete, Hospital General Juan Ramón Jiménenz, Consejeria de Sanidad Principado de Asturias; Sweden, The Swedish Medical Research Council, the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation, the Swedish Association against Asthma and Allergy; Switzerland, Swiss National Science Foundation grant 4026-28099; United Kingdom, National Asthma Campaign, British Lung Foundation, Department of Health, South Thames Regional Health Authority; USA, United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare Public Health Service Grant #2 S07 RR05521-28. Funding Information: We thank Seif Shaheen for valuable discussions and Jonathan Sterne for preparing the program used for metaanalyses in Stata. The coordination of this work was supported by the European Commission and we are grateful to the late Colette Baya and Dr Manuel Hallen for their help during the study and to Professor K. Vuylsteek and the members of the COMAC for their support.

PY - 1999

Y1 - 1999

N2 - Background: Previous literature has indicated that environmental exposures in childhood influence development of atopic sensitization. Objective: We sought to study the association between childhood environment and adult atopy. Methods: Thirteen thousand nine hundred thirty-two subjects aged 20 to 44 years from 36 areas in Europe, New Zealand, the United States, and Australia took part in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, answering interviewer-led questionnaires and providing blood tests for measurement of specific IgE to grass, house dust mite, cat, and Cladosporium allergens. Results: Atopy was negatively associated with family size (OR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.90-0.96 per 1 sib), partly attributable to an independent protective effect of a greater number of brothers (OR = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.89-0.95 per 1 brother). Accounting for total number of siblings, no further influence was detected for number of older or younger siblings. Bedroom sharing was associated with a lower prevalence of atopy, particularly to cat allergen. A protective effect of family size and bedroom shar-ing could only be detected in subjects reporting no parental allergy (family size, test for interaction P = .012). The presence of a dog in the home in childhood was negatively associated with adult atopy (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.78-0.92), an effect that remained after adjustment for parental allergy, sibling allergy, and adult pet ownership. Conclusion: Subjects from large families with brothers, shared bedrooms, and dogs in childhood were less often atopic as adults. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that infectious agents could inhibit development of atopy during childhood. However, in subjects with a strong genetic predisposition, environmental factors in childhood are possibly of less importance.

AB - Background: Previous literature has indicated that environmental exposures in childhood influence development of atopic sensitization. Objective: We sought to study the association between childhood environment and adult atopy. Methods: Thirteen thousand nine hundred thirty-two subjects aged 20 to 44 years from 36 areas in Europe, New Zealand, the United States, and Australia took part in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, answering interviewer-led questionnaires and providing blood tests for measurement of specific IgE to grass, house dust mite, cat, and Cladosporium allergens. Results: Atopy was negatively associated with family size (OR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.90-0.96 per 1 sib), partly attributable to an independent protective effect of a greater number of brothers (OR = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.89-0.95 per 1 brother). Accounting for total number of siblings, no further influence was detected for number of older or younger siblings. Bedroom sharing was associated with a lower prevalence of atopy, particularly to cat allergen. A protective effect of family size and bedroom shar-ing could only be detected in subjects reporting no parental allergy (family size, test for interaction P = .012). The presence of a dog in the home in childhood was negatively associated with adult atopy (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.78-0.92), an effect that remained after adjustment for parental allergy, sibling allergy, and adult pet ownership. Conclusion: Subjects from large families with brothers, shared bedrooms, and dogs in childhood were less often atopic as adults. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that infectious agents could inhibit development of atopy during childhood. However, in subjects with a strong genetic predisposition, environmental factors in childhood are possibly of less importance.

KW - Atopy

KW - Childhood

KW - European Community Respiratory Health Survey

KW - Family size

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0032978117&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/s0091-6749(99)70465-3

DO - 10.1016/s0091-6749(99)70465-3

M3 - Article

C2 - 10069874

AN - SCOPUS:0032978117

SN - 0091-6749

VL - 103

SP - 415

EP - 420

JO - Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

JF - Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

IS - 3 II

ER -

Childhood environment and adult atopy: Results from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this