TY - JOUR

T1 - Risk of asthma in offspring of asthmatic fathers versus mothers

T2 - A population-based study of 21,000 individuals in Denmark

AU - Al-Shuweli, Suzan

AU - Landt, Eskild

AU - Ellervik, Christina

AU - Poulsen, Henrik Enghusen

AU - Ramar, Mohankumar

AU - Dahl, Morten

AU - Fedulov, Alexey V.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 Elsevier Ltd

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Parental asthma or allergy have been linked to higher risk of asthma in a child; this occurs to a variable extent in different study populations. Moreover, it is debated whether maternal more so than paternal asthma history is a stronger predisposing factor: while in some countries/populations the maternal effect was clearly seen over paternal, in others the parental effects were equivalent, and in a few studies paternal effect dominated. Here we aimed to determine parental asthma and allergy effect in the Danish GEneral SUburban population Study (GESUS). This cross-sectional study has involved 21,362 adults aged 20+ years in the suburbs of Copenhagen. We used a combination of questionnaire approach, history of prescribed asthma medications and pulmonary function testing to determine odds ratios for maternal and paternal (and combined) asthma and allergy linked to asthma in the test subjects. We found that the input of maternal vs. paternal asthma effect was approximately equal (age and sex-adjusted OR 2.46, 95% CI: 2.15–2.81 for asthmatic mothers vs. 2.97, 2.58–3.42 for asthmatic fathers), except for the “ever asthma” age and sex-adjusted odds ratios where paternal allergy seems to have conferred a marginally greater effect (age and sex-adj. OR 1.96 for maternal allergy vs. 2.44 for paternal allergy, p = 0.03). Stratifying for gestational tobacco smoking did not affect the maternal results. We conclude that in the GESUS study parental asthma or allergy were strongly linked to higher asthma risk in offspring, without a prominent maternal or paternal effect.

AB - Parental asthma or allergy have been linked to higher risk of asthma in a child; this occurs to a variable extent in different study populations. Moreover, it is debated whether maternal more so than paternal asthma history is a stronger predisposing factor: while in some countries/populations the maternal effect was clearly seen over paternal, in others the parental effects were equivalent, and in a few studies paternal effect dominated. Here we aimed to determine parental asthma and allergy effect in the Danish GEneral SUburban population Study (GESUS). This cross-sectional study has involved 21,362 adults aged 20+ years in the suburbs of Copenhagen. We used a combination of questionnaire approach, history of prescribed asthma medications and pulmonary function testing to determine odds ratios for maternal and paternal (and combined) asthma and allergy linked to asthma in the test subjects. We found that the input of maternal vs. paternal asthma effect was approximately equal (age and sex-adjusted OR 2.46, 95% CI: 2.15–2.81 for asthmatic mothers vs. 2.97, 2.58–3.42 for asthmatic fathers), except for the “ever asthma” age and sex-adjusted odds ratios where paternal allergy seems to have conferred a marginally greater effect (age and sex-adj. OR 1.96 for maternal allergy vs. 2.44 for paternal allergy, p = 0.03). Stratifying for gestational tobacco smoking did not affect the maternal results. We conclude that in the GESUS study parental asthma or allergy were strongly linked to higher asthma risk in offspring, without a prominent maternal or paternal effect.

KW - Asthma

KW - Cross-sectional study

KW - Maternal

KW - Offspring

KW - Paternal

U2 - 10.1016/j.rmed.2023.107116

DO - 10.1016/j.rmed.2023.107116

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36642344

AN - SCOPUS:85146478362

VL - 207

JO - Respiratory Medicine

JF - Respiratory Medicine

SN - 0954-6111

M1 - 107116

ER -