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Birth month and risk of atopic dermatitis: a nationwide population‐based study
Author(s) -
Kuo C. L.,
Chen T. L.,
Liao C. C.,
Yeh C. C.,
Chou C. L.,
Lee W. R.,
Lin J. G.,
Shih C. C.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.363
H-Index - 173
eISSN - 1398-9995
pISSN - 0105-4538
DOI - 10.1111/all.12954
Subject(s) - atopic dermatitis , medicine , population , pediatrics , dermatology , environmental health
Background An individual's birth month has been associated with allergic diseases, but little is known about the association between birth month and atopic dermatitis ( AD ). Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of AD in children born in various months. Methods Using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, we conducted a case–control study that included 31 237 AD cases and 124 948 age‐ and gender‐matched controls without AD . Data regarding sociodemographic factors and coexisting medical conditions were collected and controlled in the multivariate logistic regression to determine the adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for AD associated with the participant's birth month. Results Compared with people born in May, people born in December had the highest risk of AD ( OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.10–1.25), followed by people born in October ( OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.08–1.22) and November ( OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.06–1.20). Low income ( OR 1.28), asthma ( OR 1.88), allergic rhinitis ( OR 1.70), psoriasis ( OR 2.36), vitiligo ( OR 1.99), urticaria ( OR 2.14), and systemic lupus erythematosus ( OR 1.91) were significant coexisting medical conditions associated with AD . Conclusion Being born in December, October, or November may be associated with an increased risk of AD . Future investigations are needed to evaluate the possible mechanism behind the association between birth month and AD .