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Early Childhood Overweight and Asthma and Allergic Sensitization at 8 Years of Age
Pediatrics, 01/11/2012
Magnusson JO et al. – These study indicates that high BMI during the first 4 years does not increase the risk of asthma at school age among children who have developed a normal weight by age 7 years. However, high BMI at age 7 years is associated with an increased risk of asthma and sensitization to inhalant allergens.
Methods- A birth cohort of newborn infants was followed for 8 years.
- Repeated parental questionnaires provided information on environmental exposures and health outcomes.
- Information on height and weight during childhood was retrieved from preschool and school health care records.
- The analyses included the 2075 children for whom information was available on weight and height, as well as on asthma, at age 8 years.
- A high BMI (?85th percentile) at age 1, 4, and/or 7 years was associated with an increased risk of asthma at age 8 years.
- However, no significant association was observed among children with high BMI at age 12 and/or 18 months (early age) or at age 4 years who developed a normal BMI by age 7 years.
- The risk was increased among children with high BMI at age 7 years, regardless of their earlier weight. Moreover, we observed an increased risk of sensitization to inhalant allergens among children with high BMI at age 7 years.