The comparison of intelligence quotients of atopic and nonatopic children in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Background:Atopy-related illnesses such as atopic dermatitis and asthma are chronic illnesses, and children suffering from such illnesses are subjected to frequent absenteeism from school. Studies have shown that the performance of children with asthma was comparable to their healthy counterparts despite their absenteeism at school, in contrast to findings in other chronic illnesses like epilepsy.Aim:In the present study, we investigated the association between atopy and intelligence quotient (IQ) scores in a group of Nigerian children in Ibadan, a city in southwestern Nigeria.Materials and Methods:This is a cross-sectional study of children in an urban elementary school. Questionnaires to ascertain the presence of atopy-associated conditions such as hay fever, atopic dermatitis, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and allergic conjunctivitis were administered to the parents of 128 pupils in the 3rd to 6th grades of elementary school. Based on the responses to the questionnaire, pupils were categorized as being atopic and nonatopic. All the pupils underwent the Standard Progressive Matrices IQ test. The IQ scores were then compared among these two groups of children.Results:Out of the children studied, 26.6% were found to have atopy and after adjusting for factors such as age and sex, the IQ scores in this atopic group were not found to be statistically different from the scores in the nonatopic group (r = 2.122872, P = 0.009).Conclusion:IQ scores were not statistically significantly different for children with and without atopy. Thus, the presence of atopy does not appear to be associated with low IQ scores and hence, may not be related to poor school performance.

IQ Scores of Children with Moderate Asthma: A Comparison with Healthy Children

“…12 As shown in the current study, the mean overall IQ score of asthmatic patients was statistically similar to healthy children (p=0.90). Also, there was no significant difference in the verbal IQ (p=0.98) or practical IQ (p=0.98) between healthy and asthmatic children.…”

“…The younger participants generally exhibited a lower mean IQ score than the older participants. 12 In this study however, after eliminating sex, age and the patients' level of education, the mean IQ score of patients was lower than the control group. Studies that evaluated other chronic diseases such as epilepsy have shown that these diseases affect cognitive function.…”

“…4 However, as with other studies, the current work has shown that asthma does not alter cognitive function. 12,13 Keremer and colleagues conducted a study on 26 allergic rhinitis patients and compared them with 36 healthy people aged from 16 to 65 years. They showed that although psychological symptoms such as somatic disorders, anxiety, sleep disorders and depression were higher among the patients, their cognitive function was similar to the healthy group.…”

Allergic diseases do not impair the cognitive development of children but do damage the mental health of their caregivers

“…Allergies are immune responses and usually involve chronic inflammation 9 . However, whether inflammation and irritation increase the risk of neuropsychological consequences in children with atopic diseases is still unclear 10 – 12 . For example, allergic rhinitis is associated with significantly impaired mental health and impaired cognitive function 13 .…”

Positive and inverse correlation of blood lead level with erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase and intelligence quotient in children: implications for neurotoxicity

“…It involves visuo-spatial reasoning, abstract thinking, deductive reasoning and general intelligence and covers widest range of mental ability of individuals (Raven et al, 2000). The Raven's Standard Progressive matrices has been reported as one of the best instruments for the assessment of IQ in sub-Sahara African and has also been validated for use for Nigerian children (Daramola et al, 2010;Iloh et al, 2017). Instrument: The Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices consisted of 60 problems divided into five sets (Set A, B, C, D and E), each made up of 12 problems.…”