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Provider-based data reveal greater asthma, reduced eczema rates
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Provider-based diagnosis data yielded an association between food allergy and the development of respiratory allergy, along with lower rates of eczema and higher rates of asthma than previously reported, according to published findings.
“While studies that utilize participant reporting are a valuable tool when studying changing disease patterns across large populations, they have limitations including honesty, introspective ability and understanding of complex disease processes,” David A. Hill, MD, PhD, physician fellow in the department of pediatrics at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and colleagues wrote. “As such, provider-based diagnosis data is needed to complement existing studies and to provide for the most accurate estimates of disease rates.”
To examine and compare the epidemiology of food, skin and respiratory allergies in children between existing studies and provider-based diagnoses, Hill and colleagues culled data from the CHOP electronic medical records on children who attained primary, specialty or hospital-based care. After an “honest broker” removed direct patient identifiers, the researchers defined two retrospective cohorts: a closed birth cohort (n = 29,662) and a cross-sectional cohort (n = 333,200). Children in both cohorts were identified with diagnoses of eczema, asthma or allergic rhinitis, while an allergy module was used to determine specific food allergies. Children underwent 24 months of follow-up.
Peak diagnoses in the birth cohort occurred from ages 0 to 5 months for eczema (7.3%), 12 to 17 months for asthma (8.7%), 24 to 29 months for rhinitis (2.5%), and 12 to 17 months for food allergy (1.9%). Results in the cross-sectional cohort showed prevalence rates of 6.7% and 19.9% for eczema and rhinitis, respectively. Asthma prevalence was 21.8%, which exceeded data from previous studies. Food allergy (prevalence rate, 6.7%) correlated with developing asthma (OR = 2.16; 95% CI, 1.94-2.4) and rhinitis (OR = 2.72; 95% CI, 2.45-3.03).
“These findings allow new insights into the epidemiologic characteristics of these diseases, describe the importance of utilizing provider-diagnosis data to complement participant reporting methodologies, and provide important information to shape future efforts aimed at prevention, diagnosis and management of these common pediatric conditions,” the researchers wrote. – by Kate Sherrer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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