Influence of Socioeconomic Factors on Self-Reported Prevalence of Allergic Diseases Among Female University Students

Abstract

Until recently, most studies report an increasing prevalence of allergy and asthma. The research suggests that the increase may have to do with changes in lifestyle and living conditions. This study seeks to determine the prevalence and changes in allergic diseases in relation to socioeconomic status (SES) 6 years apart. The research material consisted of data collected in two cross-sectional surveys conducted among university female students in 2009 and 2015 (respectively, 702 and 1305 subjects). The surveys evaluated the incidence of allergic conditions and socio-economic status. The occurrence of allergy was determined on the basis of answers to the questions whether the allergy and specific allergens were defined on the basis of medical work-up. The prevalence of allergic diseases increased from 14.0% to 22.3% over a 6-year period. In both cohorts, allergic diseases were more prevalent among females with high SES than with low SES. In 2009, significant differences were noted in relation to urbanization of the place of living and the number of siblings. In 2015, all socioeconomics factors significantly bore on the prevalence of allergy.

Allergy and related clinical symptoms among medical students and interns

“…Allergy is a widespread global public health problem 1. It has continuously escalating rates, and it can lead to serious complications 1,2. The etiology of allergy is due to interactions between both environmental factors, with the permissive genetic factors 3.…”

Parasites and allergy: Observations from Brazil

“…Further analysis within this population showed that chronic STH infections were associated with a generalized suppression of mitogen‐induced type 1 and type 2 cytokines, probably explained by enhanced production of spontaneous IL‐10 . Thus, changes in immune regulation within populations that are related to improvements in sanitary conditions may contribute to an increased prevalence of allergic diseases observed over recent decades in low‐ and middle‐income countries such as Brazil …”

“…Brazil. [40][41][42] An inverse correlation between the prevalence of helminth parasitic infections and asthma can be seen regionally within Brazil between areas with different sanitary and socio-economic conditions:…”

Asma, rinite e atopia em escolares de duas cidades ambientalmente distintas: metrópole industrializada e região agrícola

“…Provavelmente dois fatores poderiam explicar estas diferenças. Uma é que em Ijuí os escolares são de nível socioeconômico mais elevado (52,8% vs. 18,3% -Porto Alegre) e há literatura consistente que indica que quanto melhor é essa situação, maior o índice de doenças alérgicas [10,23]. Outro aspecto importante são as características regionais, sendo Ijuí uma região agrícola, é exposta a contaminação ambiental resultante do manejo de diferentes plantações, o que pode elevar a prevalência de sintomas de doenças alérgicas.…”

“…A asma tem características multicausais e sua manifestação apresenta relação com as condições ambientais, geográficas, socioeconômicas, emocionais e genéticas. Além disso, estudos descrevem diferenças para manifestação e intensidade dos sintomas de asma entre regiões urbanas e rurais [7][8][9][10][11].…”