Breastfeeding and wheeze prevalence in pre‐schoolers and pre‐adolescents: the Genesis and Healthy Growth studies. Issue 8 (2nd December 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Guibas, George V.; Xepapadaki, Paraskevi; Moschonis, George; Douladiris, Nikolaos; Filippou, Amalia; Tsirigoti, Lydia; Manios, Yannis; Papadopoulos, Nikolaos G.
• Is Part Of: Pediatric allergy and immunology. Volume 24:Issue 8(2013)
• Page Start: 772
• Page End: 781
• Publication Date: 2013-12-02
• Subjects: Allergy in children -- Periodicals; Immunologic diseases in children -- Periodicals; 617
• DOI: 10.1111/pai.12169
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0905-6157

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="pai12169-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <sec id="pai12169-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Background</title> <p>To date, extensive research has been undertaken on a potential link of breastfeeding (BF) to wheezing illnesses. Nevertheless, an association remains to be established, partly due to age‐dependent discrepancies and different definitions of exposures/outcomes across studies. We thus investigated the relation of diverse infantile feeding patterns with wheeze/asthma prevalence in two cohorts of children of different ages (preschool and preadolescent).</p> </sec> <sec id="pai12169-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>Wheeze ever/in the last 12 months (current) and doctor‐diagnosed asthma were retrospectively reported by parents of the participants of two cross‐sectional studies: the <italic>Genesis</italic> study (1871 children aged 1–5) and the <italic>Healthy Growth</italic> study (1884 children aged 9–13). Information on feeding practices (exclusive breastfeeding vs. mixed vs. formula feeding) and their duration (2 vs. 4 vs. 6 months) was recorded. Perinatal and anthorpometric data were also collected.</p> </sec> <sec id="pai12169-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>In pre‐schoolers, regimes that did not entail exclusive BF were positively correlated to current/ever wheeze, both before and after adjustment for confounders. No differences between the associations of regimes with 2, 4 or 6 months of exclusive BF with current/ever wheeze were shown. Furthermore, there was no consistent correlation of feeding practices with physician‐diagnosed asthma. In pre‐adolescents, no association of infantile feeding patterns with the wheeze/asthma outcomes was observed.</p> </sec> <sec id="pai12169-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>Exclusive BF is associated with reduced prevalence of current/ever wheeze in pre‐schoolers; however, this appears to wane in older children. The association of a period of exclusive BF as low as 2 months with pre‐school wheeze prevalence, appeared to be comparable with that of 6 months of exclusivity.</p> </sec> </abstract>