Reduced risk of hay fever and asthma among children of farmers

作者：von Ehrenstein, Von Mutius, Illi, Baumann, Böhm, Von Kries · 发表于：Clinical & Experimental Allergy · 年份：2000 · DOI：10.1046/j.1365-2222.2000.00801.x · 被引用次数：728 · 研究领域：Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure、Asthma and respiratory diseases、Occupational exposure and asthma

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of atopic diseases is on the rise. Traditional lifestyles may be associated with a reduced risk of atopy. OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that children living on a farm have lower prevalences of atopic diseases. To identify differences in living conditions between farmers and other families which are associated with the development of atopic conditions. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey among children entering school (aged 5-7 years). A written questionnaire including the ISAAC core questions and asking for exposures on a farm and elsewhere was administered to the parents. SETTING: School health entry examination in two Bavarian districts with extensive farming activity. SUBJECTS: 10 163 children. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The prevalence of doctor's diagnoses and symptoms of hay fever, asthma and eczema as assessed by parental report. RESULTS: Farmers' children had lower prevalences of hay fever (adjusted odds ratio = 0. 52, 95% CI 0.28-0.99), asthma (0.65, 0.39-1.09), and wheeze (0.55, 0. 36-0.86) than their peers not living in an agricultural environment. The reduction in risk was stronger for children whose families were running the farm on a full-time basis as compared with families with part-time farming activity. Among farmers' children increasing exposure to livestock was related to a decreasing prevalence of atopic diseases (aOR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.23-0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Factors related to environmental influences on a farm such as increased expos...