Risk of Allergic Rhinitis, Allergic Conjunctivitis, and Eczema in Children Born to Mothers with Gum Inflammation during Pregnancy

Abstract

PurposeDespite links between maternal and child health status, evidence on the association between gum infection in pregnant mothers and childhood allergies is scarce. We aim to evaluate the risk of developing allergy in children born to periodontal mothers in a nationwide study.MethodsWe conducted a 9-year population-based, retrospective cohort study using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance database. A study cohort of 42,217 newborns born to mothers with periodontal disease during pregnancy was identified in 2001 and matched with 42,334 babies born to mothers without any infection (control) by mother’s age at delivery and baby sex. With a follow-up period from 2001 to 2010, we observed the incidence of allergic rhinitis (AR), allergic conjunctivitis (AC), and eczema in these children. Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed with premature deaths as competing risk for the estimation of allergic disease risks.ResultsNine-year cumulative incidences were the highest among children born to periodontal mothers; they reached 46.8%, 24.2%, and 40.4% (vs. 39.5%, 18.3% and 34.8% in control) for AR, AC, and eczema, respectively. Our results showed moderately increased risks for the allergies in children born to periodontal mothers relative to their matched non-inflammatory control (adjusted HRs: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.15–1.20; 1.27, 1.24–1.31; 1.14, 1.12–1.17, respectively). Because the impact of food consumption and living environment cannot be considered using insurance data, we attempted to control it by adjusting for parental income and mother’s residential area.ConclusionsOverall cumulative incidence and risks of children born to periodontal mothers for AR, AC, and eczema are significantly higher than those born to non-inflammatory mothers. Gum infection in women during pregnancy is an independent risk factor for allergic diseases in children, thus its intergenerational consequences should be considered in gestational care.

Increasing Prevalence of Allergic Rhinitis in China

“…Another 9-year population-based, retrospective cohort study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance database demonstrated that the overall cumulative incidence and risk of AR in children born to periodontal mothers were significantly higher than those born to non-inflammatory mothers. Gum infection in women during pregnancy is an independent risk factor for allergic diseases in children, and thus its intergenerational consequences should be considered in gestational care 46…”

Early exposure to infections increases the risk of allergic rhinitis—a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Among these 19 studies, 14 studies with a total sample size of 78,426 reported evidence of infection within 2 years of age and subsequent AR in children, including 7 cohort studies [ 15 , 21 – 26 ], 5 cross-sectional studies [ 27 – 31 ] and 2 case–control studies [ 16 , 32 ]. Five studies with a total sample size of 82,256 reported evidence of infection during pregnancy and AR in offspring, including 3 cohort studies [ 33 – 35 ], 1 cross-sectional study [ 36 ] and 1 case–control study [ 37 ]. Except for the study of Thomson 2010 [ 21 ], the quality evaluation of all the included studies was of medium to high quality.…”