EDUCATION: URBANMAAP

Research Projects: Asthma

4. Investigation of the Connection between Asthma and Allergy

Allergy is a sensitivity that allergy prone people develop toward substances (allergens) that are ordinarily harmless to other people. Allergens can include pollen, dust mites, mold, food, medications and insect venoms. These substances can trigger sneezing, wheezing, coughing and itching. Allergies are not only uncomfortable but have also been linked to other respiratory problems such as asthma. While it has been estimated that roughly 20% of the population suffers from allergies it is thought than roughly 10% of the population suffers from asthma.

A 23-year follow-up study of 1,601 college students with asthma and allergic rhinitis demonstrates that the cumulative prevalence of asthma continues to increase with age, and individuals with allergic rhinitis have about three times the risk of developing asthma. The frequency of asthma in the group of college freshmen was 5.3 percent. In the 3-year follow-up study, the cumulative prevalence of asthma increased to nearly 6 percent. The results of the 23-year follow-up study demonstrated that the prevalence of asthma increased to 11.4 percent. The 23-year study further revealed the frequent co-existence of asthma and allergic rhinitis. A history of allergic rhinitis was indicated in 85.7 percent of the people with asthma, and positive skin tests confirmed allergies in 61 percent of them. http://allergy.mcg.edu/news/followup.html

A survey released in 1999 by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) found that thirty-eight percent of the people surveyed reported having allergies, while 56 percent said they live in a household in which at least one member, including themselves, has allergies. The number of people affected surprised even allergy experts who thought the incidence of allergies was closer to 20 percent of the population. http://allergy.mcg.edu/news/survey.html

"Hay fever" is a turn-of-the-century term that has come to describe the symptoms of allergic rhinitis, especially when it occurs in the late summer. However, the symptoms are not caused by hay (ragweed is one of the main culprits) and are not accompanied by fever. So physicians prefer the term "allergic rhinitis" because it's more accurate. Similarly, springtime symptoms are sometimes called "rose fever," but it's just coincidental that roses are in full-bloom during the grass-pollinating season. Roses and other sweet-smelling, showy flowers rely on bees, not the wind, for pollination, so not much of their pollen gets into the air to cause allergies. http://www.healthsquare.com/ana/allRhin.html

Just as the prevalence of asthma has increased, the prevalence of allergy also appears to be increasing. Investigations into the history of allergy suggest that two centuries ago allergies and asthma were rare and that the increase is associated with industrialization. http://www.research.ucla.edu/chal/28.htm

Research Question:
What is the relationship between allergy and asthma? To investigate this, use the UrbanMAAP survey to compare the prevalence of allergy in people who report having asthma as compared to people who do not have asthma. Which group has a higher prevalence of allergy?

Guiding Research Questions: (pick one).

1. Are there racial differences in the prevalence of allergy?
2. Are there gender differences in the prevalence of allergy?
3. Are there regional differences in the prevalence of allergy?

Additional things to think about:

• How do your results compare with published results?
• Are your results consistent with expectations? We would expect that more people have allergies than asthma but that people with asthma have a higher prevalence of allergy than people without asthma (e.g., roughly 20% of the people will have allergies but that roughly 75 ­85% of the people with asthma will report having allergies).

References:

• Asthma and allergy - click on Allergy Awareness at this website: http://www.schoolasthmaallergy.com/
• http://allergy.mcg.edu/news/survey.html
• Allergy facts http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/allergystat.htm
• Historical perspective on allergy ­ transportation links http://www.osti.gov/hvt/deer2000/diazpap.pdf.

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