Abstract
Background Nickel allergy is the most prevalent contact allergy. It belongs to a different hypersensitivity type to asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis. The aim of this analysis was to assess whether self-reported nickel allergy is associated with incident wheezing, asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis in young German adults, taking into account potential effect modification by sex.
Methods In total, 2051 (70.6%) participants aged 19–24 years took part in the second phase of SOLAR (Study on Occupational Allergy Risks), a follow-up study of ISAAC II (the second phase of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) in Germany. Self-reported nickel allergy, as well as having pierced ears, and the three outcomes incident wheezing, asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis, were analysed stratified for sex. Logistic regression adjusted for potential confounders was performed.
Results An association between self-reported nickel allergy and incident wheezing was observed for men and women, while only in males did pierced ears show a significant association with the outcome (adjusted OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.10–4.62). Also only in males, self-reported nickel allergy was associated with elevated odds for incident asthma (adjusted OR 4.34, 95% CI 1.22–15.41). Neither in men nor in women was a significant association observed for incident rhinoconjunctivitis.
Conclusion Our results suggest that self-reported nickel allergy is associated with incident wheezing. Whether this association is due to environmental or genetic predisposition, or due to an overlap of the mechanisms of type I and type IV hypersensitivity, needs to be elucidated.
Abstract
Self-reported nickel allergy is associated with incident wheezing in young German males and females, and with incident asthma in males, whereas no significant association was observed for self-reported nickel allergy and incident rhinoconjunctivitis http://bit.ly/2YHmwBA
Footnotes
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Author contributions: L. Kolberg, F. Forster, J. Gerlich, G. Weinmayr, J. Genuneit, D. Windstetter, C. Vogelberg, E. von Mutius, D. Nowak, H. Drexler, T. Schäfer and K. Radon contributed to the conception and design of the study, and the data acquisition, analysis, and/or interpretation, and the revision of the manuscript. L. Kolberg, F. Forster and K. Radon drafted the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to the submission to the journal.
Support statement: The ISAAC Phase Two study in Dresden and Munich was funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (01 EE 9411-3). The SOLAR I study was supported by the German Ministry for Economy and Labour. The SOLAR II study was funded by the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the German Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
Conflict of interest: L. Kolberg has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: F. Forster has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: J. Gerlich reports grants from German Federal Ministry of Labour, grants from German Research Foundation, during the conduct of the study.
Conflict of interest: G. Weinmayr has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: J. Genuneit has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: D. Windstetter has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: C. Vogelberg reports grants from Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, grants from Federal Office for Occupational Safety and Occupational Medicine and Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, during the conduct of the study.
Conflict of interest: E. von Mutius reports grants from German Research Foundation (DFG – Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft), during the conduct of the study; personal fees from OM Pharma, personal fees from Peptinnovate, personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, personal fees from HAL Allergie GmbH and personal fees from Nestlé Deutschland AG, outside the submitted work.
Conflict of interest: D. Nowak has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: H. Drexler has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: T. Schäfer has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: K. Radon has nothing to disclose.
- Received July 19, 2019.
- Accepted December 4, 2019.
- Copyright ©ERS 2020
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