Health | A new study has revealed a link between the year of birth and asthma

During the year of birth there is a connection with allergic rhinitis and asthma in Finland, shows a fresh research. It investigated the relationship between year of birth and respiratory allergies and related diseases.

Being born in autumn or winter is linked to asthma, the results reveal. Those born in the summer had the lowest incidence of asthma and allergic rhinitis.

Research is based on the patient data of the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS). The study used electronic patient data from the period between 2005 and 2019. The subjects were divided into four groups based on the year of birth.

The share of people with allergic rhinitis in the group born in summer was 10.7 percent, while in all other groups the share was at least 12 percent.

The data also included people whose asthma or allergy only started in adulthood.

“It was interesting to notice that the meaning of the year of birth can be reflected so far,” says the professor of ear, nose and throat pathology Sanna Salmi from the University of Eastern Finland.

The proportion of people with asthma was 43.1 percent when the year of birth was winter and 42.7 percent when it was autumn. Among those born in summer, the corresponding figure was 41.1 percent and 42.1 percent in spring.

Multi this may explain the connection between year of birth and respiratory allergies and related diseases.

Seasons are associated with variations in, for example, the amount of light, vegetation and air pollution. In addition, epidemic peaks of various infectious diseases usually occur in certain seasons.

With chronic no significant association with the year of birth was found for sinusitis, i.e. rhinosinusitis, or respiratory disease aggravated by anti-inflammatory drugs.

A strong connection between chronic rhinosinusitis and asthma has been previously observed. Salmi states that, based on this, the birth of chronic rhinosinusitis seems to lack a risk effect related to early childhood.

“Perhaps with this we can track down when these diseases start and what affects them. In this way, hopefully, the occurrence of diseases can be prevented in the future.”