Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Co-occurrence of Autism and Asthma in a Nationally-Representative Sample of Children in the United States

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Few large epidemiological studies have examined the co-occurrence of autism and asthma. We performed a cross-sectional study to examine this association using the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health dataset (n = 77,951). We controlled for confounders and tested for autism-secondhand smoke interaction. Prevalence of asthma and autism were 14.5 % (n = 11,335) and 1.81 % (n = 1,412) respectively. Unadjusted odds ratio (OR) for asthma among autistic children was 1.35 (95 % CI 1.18–1.55). Adjusting for covariates (age, gender, body mass index, race, brain injury, secondhand smoke and socio-economic status) attenuated the OR to 1.19 (95 % CI 1.03–1.36). Autism-secondhand smoke interaction was insignificant (p = 0.38). Asthma is approximately 35 % more common in autistic children; screening may be an efficient approach to reduce risk of morbidity due to asthma.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akinbami, L. J., & Schoendorf, K. C. (2002). Trends in childhood asthma: Prevalence, health care utilization, and mortality. Pediatrics, 110(2), 315–322.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bakkaloglu, B., Anlar, B., Anlar, F. Y., Öktem, F., Pehlivantürk, B., Ünal, F., et al. (2008). Atopic features in early childhood autism. European Journal of Paediatric Neurology, 12(6), 476–479.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bauman, M. D., Iosif, A.-M., Ashwood, P., Braunschweig, D., Lee, A., Schumann, C. M., et al. (2013). Maternal antibodies from mothers of children with autism alter brain growth and social behavior development in the rhesus monkey. Translational Psychiatry, 3(7), e278.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, K. G. (2007). Autism, asthma, inflammation, and the hygiene hypothesis. Medical Hypotheses, 69(4), 731–740.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, K. G., & Schultz, S. T. (2010). Similarities in features of autism and asthma and a possible link to acetaminophen use. Medical Hypotheses, 74(1), 7–11.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Braunschweig, D., Krakowiak, P., Duncanson, P., Boyce, R., Hansen, R. L., Ashwood, P., et al. (2013). Autism-specific maternal autoantibodies recognize critical proteins in developing brain. Translational Psychiatry, 3(7), e277.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chiri, G., & Warfield, M. E. (2012). Unmet need and problems accessing core health care services for children with autism spectrum disorder. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 16(5), 1081–1091.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Croen, L. A., & Grether, J. K. (2005). Maternal autoimmune diseases, asthma and allergies, and childhood autism spectrum disorders: A case-control study. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 159(2), 151–157.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Croen, L. A., Grether, J. K., & Selvin, S. (2002). Descriptive epidemiology of autism in a California population: Who is at risk? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 32(3), 217–224.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Design and Operation of the National Survey of Children’s Health, 2007. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_01/sr01_055.pdf.

  • Furu, K., Karlstad, Ø., Skurtveit, S., Håberg, S. E., Nafstad, P., London, S. J., et al. (2011). High validity of mother-reported use of antiasthmatics among children: A comparison with a population-based prescription database. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 64(8), 878–884.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gardener, H., Spiegelman, D., & Buka, S. L. (2011). Perinatal and neonatal risk factors for autism: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 128(2), 344–355.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ghio, A. J. (2008). Mechanism of asthmatic exacerbation by ambient air pollution particles. Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine, 2(1), 109–118.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh, S., Pahwa, P., Rennie, D. C., & Janzen, B. (2009). Gender-related interactive effect of smoking and rural/urban living on asthma prevalence: A longitudinal Canadian NPHS study. The Journal of Asthma: Official Journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma, 46(10), 988–994.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Growth Chart Training: Resources: SAS Program | DNPAO | CDC. Retrieved January 18, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/growthcharts/resources/sas.htm.

  • Hospital Stays for Children, 2009. Statistical Brief #118. Retrieved August 1, 2013, from http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb118.jsp.

  • Hosmer, D. W. Jr., & Lemeshow, S. (2004). Applied Logistic Regression (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

  • Jyonouchi, H. (2009). Food allergy and autism spectrum disorders: Is there a link? Current Allergy and Asthma Reports, 9(3), 194–201.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jyonouchi, H. (2010). Autism spectrum disorders and allergy: Observation from a pediatric allergy/immunology clinic. Expert Review of Clinical Immunology, 6(3), 397–411.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jyonouchi, H., Geng, L., Cushing-Ruby, A., & Quraishi, H. (2008). Impact of innate immunity in a subset of children with autism spectrum disorders: A case control study. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 5(1), 52.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kazani, S., & Israel, E. (2012). Update in asthma 2011. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 186(1), 35–40.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koehler, A. D., Fagnano, M., Montes, G., & Halterman, J. S. (2014). Elevated burden for caregivers of children with persistent asthma and a developmental disability. Maternal and Child Health Journal. doi:10.1007/s10995-014-1455-6.

  • Kogan, M. D., Blumberg, S. J., Schieve, L. A., Boyle, C. A., Perrin, J. M., Ghandour, R. M., et al. (2009). Prevalence of parent-reported diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder among children in the US, 2007. Pediatrics, 124(5), 1395–1403.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kohane, I. S., McMurry, A., Weber, G., MacFadden, D., Rappaport, L., Kunkel, L., et al. (2012). The co-morbidity burden of children and young adults with autism spectrum disorders. PLoS One, 7(4), e33224.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Korvatska, E., Van de Water, J., Anders, T. F., & Gershwin, M. E. (2002). Genetic and immunologic considerations in autism. Neurobiology of Disease, 9(2), 107–125.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Largent, J., Nickerson, B., Cooper, D., & Delfino, R. J. (2012). Paediatric asthma hospital utilization varies by demographic factors and area socio-economic status. Public Health, 126(11), 928–936.

  • Kumar, V. K., Abbas, A. K., & Aster, J. C. (2012). Robbins Basic Pathology: With Student Consult Online Access (9th ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences.

  • Moorman, J. E., Rudd, R. A., Johnson, C. A., King, M., Minor, P., Bailey, C., Akinbami, L. J. (2007). National surveillance for asthma–United States, 1980-2004. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Surveillance Summaries (Washington, D.C.: 2002), 56(8), 1–54.

  • Porter, M., Wegienka, G., Havstad, S., Nageotte, C. G., Johnson, C. C., Ownby, D. R., et al. (2012). Relationship between childhood body mass index and young adult asthma. Annals of Allergy Asthma & Immunology, 109(6), 408–411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rottem, M., & Shoenfeld, Y. (2003). Asthma as a paradigm for autoimmune disease. International Archives of Allergy and Immunology, 132(3), 210–214.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Trends in asthma prevalence, health care use, and mortality in the United States, 2001–2010.

  • Yu, H., Wier, L. M., & Elixhauser, A. (2006). Hospital Stays for Children, 2009: Statistical Brief #118. In Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Statistical Briefs. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (US). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK65134/.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 715 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

    Stanley Kotey, Karen Ertel & Brian Whitcomb

Authors
  1. Stanley Kotey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Karen Ertel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Brian Whitcomb
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stanley Kotey.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kotey, S., Ertel, K. & Whitcomb, B. Co-occurrence of Autism and Asthma in a Nationally-Representative Sample of Children in the United States. J Autism Dev Disord 44, 3083–3088 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2174-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2174-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation