Social class in asthma and allergic rhinitis: a national cohort study over three decades
Open accessAbstract
The aim of this study was to assess whether the association with social class differed between allergic rhinitis and asthma and whether these associations have changed over time. The Swedish Military Service Conscription Register was linked to two other national registers for 1,247,038 male conscripts in successive cohorts born between 1952 and 1977. The percentage of asthma cases associated with allergic rhinitis was 15% in the oldest cohort and 44% in the youngest cohort. Low socio-economic status (SES) was associated with an increased risk (assessed as odds ratio) of asthma without allergic rhinitis (1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11–1.17) but a slightly reduced risk of asthma with allergic rhinitis (0.96, 95% CI 0.93–1.00). The risk of allergic rhinitis was 0.84, 95% CI 0.82–0.85. A positive interaction between SES and year of birth occurred in all three conditions. Low SES was related to a reduced risk of asthma with allergic rhinitis in the earliest cohort (0.72, 95% CI 0.53–0.82) but a slightly increased risk in the most recent cohort (1.07, 95% CI 1.01–1.14). In conclusion, the role of social class has changed over time. The steepest increase in asthma and allergic rhinitis occurred in conscripts with a low socio-economic status.
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A positive association between hay fever and high social class was later reported in the British 1958 and 1970 cohorts and in a Swedish survey of conscripts born from 1952 to 1977.
“The positive association between hay fever and high social class was later reported in the British 1958 and 1970 cohorts,607,608 as well as a Swedish survey of conscripts born from 1952 to 1977.609”
From International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Allergic Rhinitis (2018) · cites this paper as [609]
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- Authors
- Bråbäck, L., Hjern, A., & Rasmussen, F.
- Affiliations
- Karolinska Institutet (SE)
- Uppsala University (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Rasmussen, F.
- Venue
- European Respiratory Journal
- Publisher
- European Respiratory Society (ERS)
- Published
- 2005-12
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1064-1068
- ISSN
- 0903-1936 (ISSN-L)
- 1399-3003
- OpenAlex
- W2125167050
- Cited by
- 94
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 4.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- European Respiratory Journal (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Asthma and respiratory diseases
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Immunology and Allergy › Allergic Rhinitis and Sensitization
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Keywords
- asthma, allergic rhinitis, social class, socioeconomic status, temporal trends, conscripts, military service, birth cohort, comorbidities
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Asthma, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Registries, Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial, Severity of Illness Index, Social Class, Socioeconomic Factors, Sweden, Time Factors, Cohort Studies, Body Mass Index, Prevalence, Confidence Intervals, Logistic Models, Age Distribution, Sex Distribution, Risk Assessment
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