Children with East Asian-Born Parents Have an Increased Risk of Allergy but May Not Have More Asthma in Early Childhood

Noor H A Suaini; Jennifer J Koplin; Rachel L Peters; Mari Sasaki; Justine A Ellis; David J Martino; Adrian J Lowe; Mimi L K Tang; Anne-Louise Ponsonby; Lyle C Gurrin; Shyamali C Dharmage; Katrina J Allen; HealthNuts study group

doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2018.07.042

Children with East Asian-Born Parents Have an Increased Risk of Allergy but May Not Have More Asthma in Early Childhood

J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2019 Feb;7(2):539-547.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2018.07.042. Epub 2018 Aug 24.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Food and Allergy Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
² Centre for Food and Allergy Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; The School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia.
³ Centre for Food and Allergy Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
⁴ Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia; Genes, Environment & Complex Disease, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
⁵ Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Food and Allergy Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
⁶ Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Food and Allergy Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
⁷ The School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia.
⁸ Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Food and Allergy Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. Electronic address: katrina.allen@mcri.edu.au.

PMID: 30149095
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2018.07.042

Abstract

Background: We previously reported that infants with Asian-born parents are 3 times more likely to have IgE-mediated food allergy than those with Australian-born parents. It is unknown whether this translates to the increased risk of other allergic diseases later in childhood and whether ancestry interacts with other risk factors for allergic disease development.

Objective: To compare prevalence and risk factors for allergic rhinitis, asthma, and aeroallergen sensitization at age 6 between children with East Asian-born and Caucasian-born parents.

Methods: A total of 5276 1-year-old infants were recruited into a population-based longitudinal study of allergy. A total of 4455 children participated in age 6 follow-up (84.4%), including 3015 with Caucasian-born parents and 415 with East Asian-born parents. Children underwent skin prick tests to aeroallergens and questionnaires captured data on asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis.

Results: Compared with children with Caucasian-born parents, children of East Asian-born parents had more allergic rhinitis (19.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) 14.9-26] vs 9.3% [95% CI 8-10.8], P < .001) and aeroallergen sensitization (64.3% [95% CI 57.5-70.5] vs 34.4% [95% CI 32.2-36.7], P < .001) at age 6. Asthma was similar in both groups (9.1% [95% CI 6.2-13.2] vs 11.7% [95% CI 10.4-13.1]), P = .21. Children with IgE-mediated food allergy and eczema in infancy were 3 times more likely to have asthma and 2 times more likely to have allergic rhinitis at age 6, irrespective of ancestry.

Conclusions: Children of East Asian ancestry born in Australia have a higher burden of most allergic diseases in the first 6 years of life, whereas asthma may follow a different pattern. IgE-mediated food allergy and eczema at age 1 increase the risk of asthma and allergic rhinitis irrespective of ancestry.

Keywords: Allergic rhinitis; Ancestry; Asians; Asthma; Children; Eczema; Ethnicity; Food allergy; Hay fever.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Allergens / immunology
Asian People
Asthma / epidemiology*
Australia / epidemiology
Child
Eczema / epidemiology*
Female
Food Hypersensitivity / epidemiology*
Humans
Infant
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Parents
Prevalence
Rhinitis, Allergic / epidemiology*
Risk Factors
Skin Tests
White People

Substances

Allergens