Association of Food Allergy, Respiratory Allergy, and Skin Allergy with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder among Children

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have predominately examined associations of respiratory allergy and skin allergy with ADHD, but little is known about the association between food allergy and ADHD. Methods: We included 192,573 children aged 4–17 years from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a leading health survey in a nationally representative sample of the US population. Allergy conditions and ADHD were defined based on an affirmative response in the NHIS questionnaire. We used weighted logistic regression to estimate the odds ratio (OR) of ADHD. Results: Among the 192,573 children, 15,376 reported ADHD diagnosis. The prevalence of ADHD was higher among children with allergic conditions: 12.66% vs. 7.99% among children with and without food allergy; 12.16% vs. 7.63% among children with and without respiratory allergy; and 11.46% vs. 7.83% among children with and without skin allergy. After adjusting for covariates, the OR of ADHD was 1.72 (95% CI, 1.55–1.91) comparing children with and without food allergy, 1.50 (95% CI, 1.41–1.59) comparing children with and without respiratory allergy, and 1.65 (95% CI, 1.55–1.75) comparing children with and without skin allergy. The observed associations remained significant after mutual adjustment for other allergic conditions. Conclusions: In a nationally representative sample of US children, we found a significant association of common allergic conditions (food allergy, respiratory allergy, and skin allergy) with ADHD.

The Prevalence of Somatic Diseases in Swedish Adolescents with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…While these differences were signi cant, their effect sizes were negligible. However, our ndings align with previous research that has also reported elevated rates of in ammatory diseases among children and adolescents with ADHD [7][8][9][10]. Allergies, asthma, and skin diseases are all associated with childhood onset and have a clear in ammatory nature.…”

“…Furthermore, a nationally representative sample of US children and adolescents found signi cant positive associations between ADHD and food allergies, respiratory allergies, and skin allergies. Additionally, a national Danish register study including nearly one million people suggested that a personal history of autoimmune disease was associated with an increased risk of ADHD [9]. The frequent co-occurrence of ADHD and various in ammatory and autoimmune disorders indicates the presence of underlying mechanisms that are still being investigated.…”

Physical Complaints Decrease after Following a Few-Foods Diet in Children with ADHD

“…Research has provided evidence for an association between atopic diseases and ADHD [ 37 ], which may explain the high percentage of children participating in INCA and BRAIN with an atopic constitution (71/119 (60%)). Furthermore, it has been hypothesised that allergies or atopic diseases might eventually result in ADHD due to excessive stress and/or cytokine release caused by the atopic condition [ 37 , 38 ]. However, in our study, there was no significant association of ARS response with allergy test results or with the existence of an atopic constitution.…”

Long-term changes in serum levels of lipoproteins in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

“…Moreover, recent studies have underscored an increased risk for development of somatic disorders (e. g. cardiovascular diseases, asthma, headache, functional vision problems and obesity). Still, a direct connection could not be established so far and data suggest an indirect connection based on genetic factors (Garcia-Argibay et al 2022 ; Arrondo et al 2022 ; Xu et al 2022 ; Kase et al 2021 ; Robert Koch-Institut (RKI) 2018 ; Pan et al 2021 ; Bellato et al 2022 ; Li et al 2022 ; Li et al 2020 ). For a long time, ADHD has been classified primarily as a disorder of children and adolescents but recently it has been shown that also many adults exhibit persistent ADHD symptoms, even if they often do not comply with the full diagnostic criteria (Faraone et al 2015 ).…”