Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Vol 157, No. 1, Jan 1998, 35-42.
Risk factors for adult onset wheeze: a case control study [In Process Citation]
CH Bodner, S Ross, J Little, JG Douglas, JS Legge, JA Friend and DJ Godden
Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Risk factors associated with adult onset wheeze were examined in a case
control study of subjects aged 39-45 yr derived from a community cohort of
2,056 asymptomatic children originally studied in 1964. Participants
included 102 cases with adult onset wheeze (since age 15) and 217 controls
with no wheeze. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine
independent risk factors for wheeze among all cases and three subgroups:
doctor diagnosed asthma (n = 24), wheeze with chronic cough and phlegm (n =
31), and other wheeze (n = 47). The risk of adult onset wheeze among all
cases increased with low socioeconomic status (relative risk [RR] 2.36),
current smoking (RR 2.01), positive atopic status (RR 3.28), and positive
family history of atopic disease (RR 5.49). Gender was not related to the
risk of wheezing. The pattern of significant independent risk factors
differed between the subgroups of cases. Socioeconomic status was
associated with cough and phlegm and other wheeze. Smoking habit was only
related to cough and phlegm. Atopy was associated with doctor diagnosed
asthma and cough and phlegm. Family history of atopic disease was related
to all subgroups, suggesting that despite apparent heterogeneity in
diagnostic labeling, concurrent symptoms, and other risk factors, the
different forms of adult onset wheeze may share a common allergic basis.
