Younger pubertal age is associated with allergy and other atopic conditions in girls

Background Early menarche is linked to higher incidence of adult asthma, suggesting that earlier puberty may influence type 2 immune response characteristics of allergic diseases. We examined the hypothesis that timing of breast and pubic hair development, which precede menarche, is associated with...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatric allergy and immunology 2014-12, Vol.25 (8), p.773-780
Main Authors: Hong, Chi-Chen, Pajak, Ashley, Teitelbaum, Susan L., Vangeepuram, Nita, Galvez, Maida, Pinney, Susan M., Windham, Gayle, Kushi, Lawrence H., Biro, Frank M., Wolff, Mary S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African Americans
Age Factors
allergies
asthma
breast development
Child
Children & youth
Confidence intervals
early puberty
Female
Follow-Up Studies
girls
Humans
Hypersensitivity, Immediate - diagnosis
Hypersensitivity, Immediate - epidemiology
Menarche
Pediatrics
Prevalence
pubic hair development
Risk
United States
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background Early menarche is linked to higher incidence of adult asthma, suggesting that earlier puberty may influence type 2 immune response characteristics of allergic diseases. We examined the hypothesis that timing of breast and pubic hair development, which precede menarche, is associated with increased childhood atopic conditions. Methods Girls were enrolled at 6–8 yr of age (2004–2007) in the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program Puberty Study and were followed through 2011. Pubertal stages were assessed and atopic conditions were queried annually. Associations of age at pubertal stage 2 for breast or pubic hair development with atopic conditions were assessed using prevalence ratios (PR) or odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) from log‐binomial regression and generalized estimating equation models, controlling for body mass index and other covariates. A total of 1055 girls with medical and pubertal stage data were included. Results Asthma (ever vs. never) was associated with younger pubarche (≤10 vs. >10 yr, PR = 1.15, CI: 1.04–1.28 adjusted for race/ethnicity and site; PR = 1.13, CI: 1.01–1.25 further adjusted for BMI), but not thelarche. In longitudinal models, risk of developing allergies increased with younger age at pubarche (adjusted OR = 1.60, CI: 1.10–2.34; ≤10 vs. >10 yr). Risks were highest among black girls with earlier pubarche (n = 248/326); for allergies, their fully adjusted OR was 2.35, CI: 1.06–5.19 for pubarche ≤10 vs. >10 yr. Conclusions Atopic conditions during childhood are associated with younger age at pubarche, independent of obesity, and these relationships may vary by racial/ethnic groups.
ISSN:0905-6157
1399-3038
DOI:10.1111/pai.12307