Population-based study of the association between asthma and pneumococcal disease in children

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Kimberly M Shea, Boston University; Timothy Lash, Emory University; Sussie Antonsen, Aarhus University Hospital; Susan S Jick, Boston University; Henrik T Sørensen, Boston University
• Language: English
• Date: 2015-07
• Publisher: Dove Medical Press
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2015 Shea et al.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/CLEP.S78619
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Clinical Epidemiology
• ISSN: 1179-1349
• Start Page: 325
• End Page: 325
• Keywords: children; asthma; comorbidity; pneumococcal disease
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Pharmacology; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of serious illness worldwide. Pneumococcal infections are especially dangerous for children and adults with immunodeficiencies, such as HIV, or with illnesses such as chronic cardiac disease and diabetes.1 Pneumococcal vaccination has therefore been recommended for persons at high risk of severe illness or complications. Asthma was first identified as an independent risk factor for pneumococcal disease (PD) in 2005 when Talbot et al2 reported that asthma was associated with a 2.4-fold increased odds of PD among persons 2–49 years old enrolled in Tennessee’s Medicaid Program between 1994 and 2002. Several studies conducted since then have provided additional evidence that asthma is associated with an increased risk of PD in adults,3–5 but no study has provided convincing evidence that asthma is associated with an increased risk of PD in children.6 Currently, pneumococcal vaccination is recommended for asthmatic adults, but it is not specifically recommended for asthmatic children. Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children,7 and the prevalence of asthma is increasing worldwide.8–12 As the prevalence of asthma increases, so does the importance of understanding whether children with asthma are at increased risk of PD. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the association between asthma and the development of PD among Danish children born between 1994 and 2007.