Key risk factors of asthma-like symptoms are mediated through infection burden in early childhood - 08/03/24
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Abstract |
Background |
Risk factors of asthma-like symptoms in childhood may act through an increased infection burden because infections often trigger these symptoms.
Objective |
We sought to investigate whether the effect of established risk factors of asthma-like episodes in early childhood is mediated through burden and subtypes of common infections.
Methods |
The study included 662 children from the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood 2010 mother-child cohort, in which infections were registered prospectively in daily diaries from age 0 to 3 years. The association between established risk factors of asthma-like episodes and infection burden was analyzed by quasi-Poisson regressions, and mediation analyses were performed for significant risk factors.
Results |
In the first 3 years of life, the children experienced a median of 16 (interquartile range, 12-23) infectious episodes. We found that the infection burden significantly (PACME < .05) mediated the association of maternal asthma (36.6% mediated), antibiotics during pregnancy (47.3%), siblings at birth (57.7%), an asthma exacerbation polygenic risk score (30.6%), and a bacterial airway immune score (80.2%) with number of asthma-like episodes, whereas the higher number of episodes from male sex, low birth weight, low gestational age, and maternal antibiotic use after birth was not mediated through an increased infection burden. Subtypes of infections driving the mediation were primarily colds, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, and fever, but not acute otitis media or acute tonsillitis.
Conclusions |
Several risk factors of asthma-like symptoms in early childhood act through an increased infection burden in the first 3 years of life. Prevention of infectious episodes may therefore be beneficial to reduce the burden of asthma-like symptoms in early childhood.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Key words : Respiratory signs and symptoms, cough, dyspnea, wheezing, risk factors, infection, infant, preschool child, mediation analysis
Abbreviations used : ACME, AOM, COPSAC2010, C-section, FUT2, ICS, IQR, IRR, 25(OH)D, PRS, RTI
Plan
Governance: We are aware of and comply with recognized codes of good research practice, including the Danish Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. We comply with national and international rules on the safety and rights of patients and healthy subjects, including Good Clinical Practice as defined in the European Union’s Directive on Good Clinical Practice, the International Conference on Harmonisation’s good clinical practice guidelines, and the Helsinki Declaration. Privacy is important to us, which is why we follow national and international legislations on General Data Protection Regulation, the Danish Act on Processing of Personal Data, and the practice of the Danish Data Inspectorate. |
Vol 153 - N° 3
P. 684-694 - mars 2024 Retour au numéroBienvenue sur EM-consulte, la référence des professionnels de santé.
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