Is Family History of Asthma Influenced by Environmental Exposures

Abstract

SESSION TITLE: Airways 5 SESSION TYPE: Original Investigation Poster PRESENTED ON: Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM PURPOSE: Family history of asthma, smoking exposure and animal exposure at home are all considered risk factors for asthma in children. Aim of this study was to identify their relationship to each other. METHODS: After IRB approval, 823 children with asthma were enrolled in our Pediatric Asthma Center since 2010. At initial visit, families complete a questionnaire with information on family history of asthma, having a pet at home and/or exposure to smoking by parents at home. Chi square analyses were calculated and alpha level of significance was ≤0.05. RESULTS: Of the 823 children, Male: females was 477 (58%):346 (42%) with mean age 6.9±4.42. Mean age at diagnosis was 2.8 ±2.5 years. Among them, Caucasians 540 (65.6%), African Americans 197 (23.9%), Hispanic 47 (5.7%) and 26 (3.2%) bi-racial with one Caucasian parent. A family history of asthma was reported by 575 (71.4%) patients, including fathers (n=154, 17.8%), mothers (n=235, 26.5%). Smoking exposure or family history of asthma was not significantly different in different ethnic groups. Families with family history of asthma (n=575) were more likely to have a pet at home (n=347, 60.3%) and be exposed to smoking (n=198, 34.4%) compared to families without history of asthma n=124 ( 50%) and n=44 (17.7%) p=0.006 and p<0.001 respectively. Similarly family with exposure to smoking (n=241) were more likely to have a pet at home (n=153, 63.5%) and a family history of asthma (n=197, 81.7%) compared to families with no exposure to smoking (n=315, 55.5%, p=0.034 and n=371, 65.3%, p<0.001 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant overlap between family history of asthma and having a pet at home and exposure to parental smoking suggesting a correlation between family history of asthma and environmental exposures. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Avoiding environmental risk factors may help in decreasing reoccurrences of asthma in families. DISCLOSURE: The following authors have nothing to disclose: Shahid Sheikh, Judy Pitts, Nancy Ryan-Wenger, Karen McCoy No Product/Research Disclosure Information