Tobacco smoke is associated with pediatric rhinitis among Asian children, according to cohort study findings presented at the 2017 AAAAI Annual Meeting
http://www.empr.com/aaaai-2017/pediatric-rhinitis-asian-non-allergic-immunoglobulin-e/article/642022/
“This Asian cohort demonstrates supportive evidence for positive association of tobacco smoke exposure with rhinitis, while the effect is mainly confirmed to non-allergic rhinitis and more pronounced in adolescents than in young children, highlighting the need for raising public health awareness about the detremental effects of tobacco smoke exposure on children’s respiratory health,” reported lead study author Hui-Ju Tsai, MPH, PhD, of the National Health Research Institutes in Miaoli, Taiwan, and coauthors.
Prior research demonstrated that tobacco smoke exposure harms respiratory health but few population studies have employed cotinine as an exposure biomarker, Dr. Tsai said. And so, the research team set out to examine tobacco smoke exposure and allergic disease among Asian children.
This population based study included a total of 1,315 children aged 5–18 years, who were assessed using questionnaire instruments, and allergen-specific immunoglobulin E, and serum cotinine concentrations as biomarkers of tobacco smoke exposure.
“Serum cotinine levels were positively associated with rhinitis ever (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.95, 95% CI: 1.15–7.60) and current rhinitis (AOR 2.71, 95% CI: 1.07–6.89), while the association for physician-diagnosed rhinitis approached significance (AOR 2.26, 95% CI: 0.88–5.83 [not significant]),” they reported.
No association was found for asthma or eczema, they noted. When data were stratified by patient age groups, these associations were significant only for children at least 10 years old (rhinitis ever AOR 3.34; 95% CI: 1.05–10.61; current rhinitis AOR 4.23; 95% CI: 1.28–13.97). For patient less than 10 years old, no significant association was detected.
“Stratified analyses demonstrated significant association of serum cotinine levels with current rhinitis among children without allergic sensitization (AOR 6.76, 95% CI: 1.21–37.74), but not among those with allergic sensitization,” they noted.