Elsevier

Respiratory Medicine

Volume 96, Issue 8, August 2002, Pages 635-641
Respiratory Medicine

Regular Article
Rhinitis increase the risk for adult-onset asthma—a Swedish population-based case-control study (MAP-study)

https://doi.org/10.1053/rmed.2002.1319Get rights and content
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Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine certain predictors, especially non-infectious rhinitis, and the risk for adult-onset asthma. A nested case-control study of adult-onset asthma was performed in a random sample from the general population (n=15 813), aged 21 to 51 years. Cases for the study included subjects reporting physician-diagnosed asthma (n=235) and controls (n=2044) were randomly selected from the whole population sample. The case-control sample was investigated with a comprehensive respiratory questionnaire. Odds ratios were calculated stratified for sex, year of diagnosis and birth-year. Adult-onset physician-diagnosed asthma was associated with occurrence of non-infectious rhinitis before asthma onset (OR=5.4, 95% CI 4.0–7.2), especially among smoking non-atopics (OR=9.1, 95% CI 5.3–15.4). Smoking before asthma onset increased the risk for asthma (OR=1.5, 95% CI 1.1–2.1). In conclusion, this population-based case-control study indicate that non-infectious rhinitis and current smoking, especially among non-atopics, are associated with increased risk for adult-onset asthma.

Keywords

atopy
epidemiology
population-based
rhinitis
smoking.

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Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr Kjell Torén, Section of Allergology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, S-413 45 Göteborg, Sweden. Fax: +4631409728.; E-mail: [email protected]