{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Childhood infections, asthma and allergy trajectories, and chronic rhinosinusitis in middle age: A prospective cohort study across six decades.
{Author}: Perret JL;Idrose NS;Walters EH;Bui DS;Lowe AJ;Lodge CJ;Fernandez AR;Yao V;Feather I;Zeng XW;Thompson BR;Erbas B;Abramson MJ;Dharmage SC;
{Journal}: Allergy
{Volume}: 0
{Issue}: 0
{Year}: 2024 Jul 10
{Factor}: 14.71
{DOI}: 10.1111/all.16184
{Abstract}: <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Evidence on the early life risk factors of adult CRS, and the history of asthma and allergies across the life course, is limited.<BR><B>OBJECTIVE: </B>To investigate relationships between respiratory infective/allergic conditions in childhood, and asthma and allergies across the life course and CRS in middle age.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>Data were from the population-based Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS) cohort, first studied in 1968 when aged 6-7 years (n = 8583) and serially followed into middle age (n = 3609). Using a well-accepted epidemiological definition, participants were assigned a CRS-severity subtype at age 53: no sinusitis/CRS (reference); past doctor diagnosis only; current symptoms without doctor diagnosis; and doctor-diagnosed CRS with current symptoms. Relationships with infective/allergic respiratory illnesses at age 7, and previously published asthma-allergy trajectories from 7 to 53 years, were examined using multinominal regression.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>In middle age, 5.8% reported current CRS symptoms with 2.5% doctor-diagnosed. Childhood conditions associated with symptomatic doctor-diagnosed CRS included frequent head colds (multinomial odds ratio [mOR] = 2.04 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.24, 3.37)), frequent tonsillitis (mOR = 1.61 [95% CI: 1.00, 2.59]) and current childhood asthma (mOR = 2.23 [95% CI: 1.25, 3.98]). Life course trajectories that featured late-onset or persistent asthma and allergies were associated with all CRS subtypes in middle age; early-onset persistent asthma and allergies (mOR = 6.74, 95% CI: 2.76, 16.4); late-onset asthma allergies (mOR = 15.9, 95% CI: 8.06, 31.4), and late-onset hayfever (mOR = 3.02, 95% CI: 1.51, 6.06) were associated with symptomatic doctor-diagnosed CRS.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>Current asthma, frequent head colds and tonsillitis at age 7 could signal a susceptible child who is at higher risk for CRS in mid-adult life and who might benefit from closer monitoring and/or proactive management. Concurrent asthma and allergies were strongly associated and are potential treatable traits of adult CRS.