Association of Food Allergy, Respiratory Allergy, and Skin Allergy with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder among Children.

Guifeng Xu,Mingwu Chen,Buyun Liu,Wei Bao,Linda G Snetselaar,Lane Strathearn,Wenhan Yang

doi:10.3390/nu14030474

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have predominately examined associations of respiratory allergy and skin allergy with ADHD, but little is known about the association between food allergy and ADHD. Methods: We included 192,573 children aged 4–17 years from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a leading health survey in a nationally representative sample of the US population. Allergy conditions and ADHD were defined based on an affirmative response in the NHIS questionnaire. We used weighted logistic regression to estimate the odds ratio (OR) of ADHD. Results: Among the 192,573 children, 15,376 reported ADHD diagnosis. The prevalence of ADHD was higher among children with allergic conditions: 12.66% vs. 7.99% among children with and without food allergy; 12.16% vs. 7.63% among children with and without respiratory allergy; and 11.46% vs. 7.83% among children with and without skin allergy. After adjusting for covariates, the OR of ADHD was 1.72 (95% CI, 1.55–1.91) comparing children with and without food allergy, 1.50 (95% CI, 1.41–1.59) comparing children with and without respiratory allergy, and 1.65 (95% CI, 1.55–1.75) comparing children with and without skin allergy. The observed associations remained significant after mutual adjustment for other allergic conditions. Conclusions: In a nationally representative sample of US children, we found a significant association of common allergic conditions (food allergy, respiratory allergy, and skin allergy) with ADHD.

Highlights

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and/or inattention [1]
Because children with food allergy are more likely to have asthma and other allergies compared with children without food allergies [28], we further considered a mutual adjustment for other allergic conditions
Among the 192,573 children aged 4–17 years old included in this analysis, 8603 had food allergy, 24,218 had respiratory allergy, and 18,703 had skin allergy

Summary

Introduction

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and/or inattention [1]. Allergic conditions, including respiratory allergy, skin allergy, and food allergy, are common medical conditions in children [9]. The prevalence of ADHD was higher among children with allergic conditions: 12.66% vs 7.99% among children with and without food allergy; 12.16% vs 7.63% among children with and without respiratory allergy; and 11.46% vs 7.83% among children with and without skin allergy. After adjusting for covariates, the OR of ADHD was 1.72 (95% CI, 1.55–1.91) comparing children with and without food allergy, 1.50 (95% CI, 1.41–1.59) comparing children with and without respiratory allergy, and 1.65 (95% CI, 1.55–1.75) comparing children with and without skin allergy. Conclusions: In a nationally representative sample of US children, we found a significant association of common allergic conditions (food allergy, respiratory allergy, and skin allergy) with ADHD

Methods

Results

Conclusion