Dataset Information

Childhood atopic diseases and early life circumstances: an ecological study in Cuba.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Children are especially vulnerable during periods of resource shortage such as economic embargoes. They are likely to suffer most from poor nutrition, infectious diseases, and other ensuing short-term threats. Moreover, early life circumstances can have important consequences for long-term health. We examined the relationship between early childhood exposure to the Cuban economic situation in the nineties and the occurrence of atopic diseases later in childhood.

Methodology/principal findings

A cross-sectional study of 1321 primary schoolchildren aged 4-14 was conducted in two Cuban municipalities. Asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic dermatitis were diagnosed using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire. Children were divided into three groups of exposure to the economic situation in the nineties according to birth date: (1) unexposed; (2) exposed during infancy; (3) exposed during infancy and early childhood. Associations were assessed using multiple logistic regression models. Exposure during infancy had a significant inverse association with the occurrence of asthma (OR 0.56, 95%CI 0.33-0.94) and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (OR 0.46, 95%CI 0.25-0.85). The associations were stronger after longer exposure, i.e. during infancy and early childhood, for asthma (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.17-0.95) and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (OR 0.29, 95%CI 0.11-0.77). No significant associations were found for atopic dermatitis.

Conclusions/significance

Exposure to the economic situation in the nineties during infancy and early childhood was inversely associated with asthma and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis occurrence later in childhood. We hypothesize that factors related to this period, such as infectious diseases and undernutrition, may have an attenuating effect on atopic disease development. The exact cause and underlying mechanisms need to be further elucidated.

SUBMITTER: van der Werff SD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3387214 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Childhood atopic diseases and early life circumstances: an ecological study in Cuba.

van der Werff Suzanne D SD Polman Katja K Ponce Maiza Campos MC Twisk Jos W R JW Junco Díaz Raquel R Gorbea Mariano Bonet MB Van der Stuyft Patrick P

PloS one 20120629 6

<h4>Background</h4>Children are especially vulnerable during periods of resource shortage such as economic embargoes. They are likely to suffer most from poor nutrition, infectious diseases, and other ensuing short-term threats. Moreover, early life circumstances can have important consequences for long-term health. We examined the relationship between early childhood exposure to the Cuban economic situation in the nineties and the occurrence of atopic diseases later in childhood.<h4>Methodology ...[more]

PMID: 22768156

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Project description:BackgroundThe empirical evidence remains inconclusive for an association between diabetes mellitus (DM) in children and early-onset kidney disease later in life, and little is known about the effects of DM types (i.e., type 1 diabetes [T1DM] and type 2 diabetes [T2DM]) in childhood on type-specific kidney diseases. We aimed to evaluate the association of childhood DM with overall and type-specific early-onset kidney diseases later in life.MethodsThe population-based matched cohort study included 9356 individuals with DM (T1DM: 8470, T2DM: 886) diagnosed in childhood (< 18 years) who were born between 1977 and 2016, and 93,560 individuals without DM matched on sex and year of birth in Denmark. The main outcomes were overall and type-specific early-onset kidney diseases. The follow-up period of all included participants was from the date of DM diagnosis in the exposure group until the first diagnosis of kidney disease, emigration, or 31 December 2018, whichever came first.ResultsDuring a median follow-up of 13 years, children with DM had a 154% increased risk of early-onset kidney diseases than children without DM (adjusted hazard ratios 2.54, 95% confidence intervals 2.38-2.72), and T1DM (2.48, 2.31-2.67) and T2DM (2.75, 2.28-3.31) showed similar results. Children with DM also had a higher risk of multiple specific kidney diseases including glomerular diseases, renal tubulo-interstitial diseases, renal failure, and urolithiasis. The risks of type-specific kidney diseases including glomerular diseases and renal failure tended to be higher for children with T2DM (glomerular diseases: 5.84, 3.69-9.24; renal failure: 14.77, 8.53-25.59) than those with T1DM (glomerular diseases: 3.14, 2.57-3.83; renal failure: 8.24, 6.66-10.20).ConclusionsChildren with DM had a higher increased risk of early-onset overall and specific kidney diseases later in life. Early prevention and treatment of both T1DM and T2DM in childhood may significantly reduce the risk of kidney diseases later in life.

Dataset Information

Childhood atopic diseases and early life circumstances: an ecological study in Cuba.

Background

Methodology/principal findings

Conclusions/significance

Publications

Childhood atopic diseases and early life circumstances: an ecological study in Cuba.

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