Sex Steroid Hormones and Allergic Diseases in Children: a Pilot Birth Cohort Study in the Japan Environment and Children's Study Cohort

Overview

Journal BMC Pediatr

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Pediatrics

Date 2023 Sep 22

PMID 37735641

Authors

Yumiko Miyaji

Kiwako Yamamoto-Hanada

Limin Yang

Mayako Saito-Abe

Miori Sato

Hidetoshi Mezawa

Minaho Nishizato

Masayuki Ochiai

Shouichi Ohga

Masako Oda

Hiroshi Mitsubuchi

Masayuki Shimono

Reiko Suga

Nathan Mise

Makiko Sekiyama

Shoji F Nakayama

Yukihiro Ohya

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Numerous studies suggest that sex steroids might play a role in sex disparity observed in allergic diseases in adults. However, whether sex hormones influence allergic diseases in children remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine the association of sex steroid hormones with allergic disease in Japanese children.

Methods: The present cross-sectional study included 145 6-year-old children participating in a pilot birth cohort study in the Japan Environment and Children's Study. Data on allergic diseases were obtained from questionnaires, and serum levels of sex steroid hormones and allergen-specific IgE were measured. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate the association of sex hormones with allergic diseases.

Results: After adjusted sex, amount of body fat at 6 years, parental history of allergic disease, and exposure to tobacco smoke, serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate level was significantly associated with reduced odds of any allergic disease (adjusted odds ratio, 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.36-0.93; P = 0.024) and serum follicle-stimulating hormone level was significantly associated with increased odds of any allergic disease (adjusted odds ratio, 2.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-4.11, P = 0.046). Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate level showed a significant association with number of allergic diseases.

Conclusions: The current study findings suggest that sex hormones may play an important role in the development of allergic diseases in prepubertal children.

Citing Articles

Metabolomic profiles during early childhood and risk of food allergies and asthma in multiethnic children from a prospective birth cohort.

Hong X, Nadeau K, Wang G, Larman B, Smith K, Pearson C J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2024; 154(1):168-178.

PMID: 38548091 PMC: 11227411. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2024.02.024.

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