Living at high altitude and risk of hospitalisation for atopic asthma in children: results from a large prospective birth-cohort study

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood 2007-04, Vol.92 (4), p.339-342
• Main Authors: Kiechl-Kohlendorfer, U, Horak, E, Mueller, W, Strobl, R, Haberland, C, Fink, FM, Schwaiger, M, Gutenberger, KH, Reich, H, Meraner, D, Kiechl, S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Altitude; Altitudes; Anatomy; Asthma; Asthma - epidemiology; Asthma - etiology; Asthma in children; At risk youth; Austria - epidemiology; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight; Childhood asthma; Childrens health; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma; Cohort analysis; Data Analysis; Environment; Female; General aspects; Health aspects; Hospital care; Hospitalization; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Hospitals; Humans; ICD-10; ICD-9; Infant, Newborn; Infants; International Classification of Disease; International Classification of Disease-Ninth Revision; Life style; Lifestyles; Male; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Place of Residence; Pneumology; Pregnancy; Prevention and actions; Prospective Studies; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Respiratory function; Risk Factors; Seasons; Short Report; Siblings; Social Status; Statistical Analysis; Tenth Revision; Variables; Young Children
• ISSN: 0003-9888; 1468-2044
• DOI: 10.1136/adc.2006.106278

Background: Asthma is among the most common chronic diseases in childhood and is steadily increasing in prevalence. Better characterisation of factors that determine the risk of hospitalisation for atopic asthma in childhood may help design prevention programmes and improve our understanding of disease pathobiology. This study will focus on the altitude of residence. Methods: This is an ongoing prospective birth-cohort study that enrolled all live-born infants in the Tyrol. Between 1994 and 1999, baseline data were collected for 33 808 infants. From 2000 to 2005, all children hospitalised for atopic asthma at the age of ⩾6 years (n = 305) were identified by a careful search of hospital databases. Disease status was ascertained from the typical medical history, a thorough examination and proof of atopy. Results: Living at higher altitude was associated with an enhanced risk of hospitalisation for atopic asthma (multivariate RRs (95% confidence interval 2.08 (1.45 to 2.98) and 1.49 (1.05 to 2.11) for a comparison between altitude categories ⩾1200 m and 900–1199 m versus