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Elementary school-age children with developmental disorders are more likely to have allergic diseases, according to a study published in the January issue of Pediatrics International.
Masafumi Zaitsu, M.D., Ph.D., from the National Hospital Organization Ureshino Medical Center in Japan, and colleagues assessed the prevalence of allergic diseases in elementary school-age children with developmental disorders by grade and sex. The analysis included 446 lower-grade and 312 upper-grade elementary school-age children.
The researchers found that the prevalence of allergic diseases was significantly higher in lower-grade boys and girls with developmental disorders versus those without developmental disorders (odds ratios, 3.22 and 3.87 for boys and girls, respectively). Similar results were seen for higher-grade boys with developmental disorders versus those without (OR, 3.46).
Among children in lower grades, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) correlated with bronchial asthma (adjusted OR, 3.72), while autism spectrum disorder correlated with atopic dermatitis (adjusted OR, 4.26). For children in the upper grades, ADHD correlated with atopic dermatitis (adjusted OR, 5.06).
“Understanding the relationship between developmental disorders and allergic diseases may lead to better medical care for both diseases,” the authors write.
Lori Solomon