Abstract:

Objective: This study aims to explore the factors influencing the age of onset in children with asthma. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 412 pediatric asthma patients (aged 0-18 years) treated at Ji’nan Children’s Hospital between September 2020 and September 2022. Data were gathered through an asthma epidemiological questionnaire, which included information on basic demographics, age at first wheezing episode, age at asthma diagnosis, birth and feeding history, environmental factors, medical history, and family history of allergies. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors influencing the age of asthma onset in children. Results: The study included 412 children, of whom 208 (50.5%) experienced asthma onset at or before the age of 3, while 204 (49.5%) experienced onset after the age of 3. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified several significant factors influencing the age of asthma onset: household smoking (OR=0.635, 95%CI: 0.411-0.983), cleaning the pillow core every 1-3 months (OR=2.352, 95%CI: 1.223-4.524), cleaning the pillow core every 3-6 months (OR=3.016, 95%CI: 1.244-7.310), predominantly meat-based diet (OR=0.427, 95%CI: 0.195-0.933), parity stage G2P2 (OR=0.276, 95%CI: 0.151-0.507), parity stage G3P3 or higher (OR=0.357, 95%CI: 0.159-0.800), and having a father with asthma (OR=0.321, 95%CI: 0.118-0.875). Conclusion: This study identified household smoking, paternal asthma, frequency of pillow cleaning, parity stage, and dietary habits as significant factors influencing the onset age of childhood asthma, offering valuable insights for the prevention and early intervention of the disease.

Key words: Asthma, Child, Age of onset, Factor analysis, statistical