Prevalence and Risk Factors of Asthma, Rhinitis, and Eczema and Their Multimorbidity among Young Adults in Kuwait: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Ali H Ziyab

doi:10.1155/2017/2184193

Abstract

Objective To estimate the prevalence of allergic diseases and allergic multimorbidity (coexistence) among young adults in Kuwait and to examine associations between risk factors with allergic diseases and allergic multimorbidity. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted by enrolling 1,154 students, aged 18–26 years, attending Kuwait University. Participants self-completed a questionnaire on symptoms and clinical history of allergic diseases. Prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by applying Poisson regression with robust variance estimation. Results The prevalence of current asthma, rhinitis, and eczema was estimated to be 11.9% (135/1135), 20.4% (232/1138), and 9.2% (105/1143), respectively. The coexistence of “asthma and rhinitis” (5.1%, 57/1125) was the most frequent allergic multimorbidity. Both maternal history (PR = 3.97, 95% CI: 2.32–6.80) and paternal history (PR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.10–2.68) of allergy were independently associated with having two or more coexisting allergic diseases. The joint effect of having both maternal and paternal history of allergy was associated with 8.16 times (95% CI: 4.19–15.90) higher risk of allergic multimorbidity. Conclusion Allergic diseases and allergic multimorbidity are common among young adults in Kuwait and their burden mirrors that of westernized countries. Parental history of allergy is a strong predisposing factor for allergic multimorbidity.

Highlights

Allergic diseases, including asthma, rhinitis, and eczema, have emerged as a global public health challenge due to their elevated prevalence and the associated clinical and social burden [1, 2]
This study demonstrates that allergic diseases and their multimorbidity are common among university students in Kuwait and parental history of allergy and having pets at home are strong risk factors
Previous studies have noted parental history of allergy as a risk factor for allergic multimorbidity [11, 12], the current study further demonstrated that the joint effect of both maternal history and paternal history of allergic disease is a strong predictor of allergic multimorbidity in the offspring

Summary

Introduction

Allergic diseases, including asthma, rhinitis, and eczema, have emerged as a global public health challenge due to their elevated prevalence and the associated clinical and social burden [1, 2]. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) provided an unmatched opportunity to explore trends in the prevalence of allergic diseases and their risk factors over time in children [3]. Reports based on the ISAAC study revealed the existence of both between- and within-countries variations in the prevalence of allergic diseases [1, 4]. Results from the German Multicenter Allergy Study (MAS) indicate that allergic multimorbidity is common in childhood and persists up to early adulthood [12], indicating that allergic diseases share common developmental mechanisms and their natural history is complicated by their coexistence

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Discussion

Conclusion