Asia Pac Allergy.  2015 Jul;5(3):145-155. 10.5415/apallergy.2015.5.3.145.

Association of prevalence of rhinitis, atopic eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis and wheezing with mortality from infectious diseases and with antibiotic susceptibility at a country level

• Fsadni C
• Fsadni P
• Fava S
• Montefort

• KMID: 2397044
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5415/apallergy.2015.5.3.145

Abstract

BACKGROUND
It was previously reported that there is a positive correlation between incidence of type 1 diabetes and prevalence of asthma and atopic eczema. A negative correlation between the prevalence of type 1 diabetes and mortality from infectious diseases as well as a positive correlation with antibiotic susceptibility at a country level have also been reported.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the association between country prevalence of rhinitis, atopic eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis, and wheezing with mortality from infectious diseases and also with antibiotic susceptibility at a country level.
METHODS
Data for prevalence of rhinitis, eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis, and wheezing was obtained from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood study (ISAAC). ISAAC Phase one was a multicentre multicountry cross sectional study involving over 700,000 children in 2 age groups of school children, 13-14 years old (adolescents) and 6-7 years old (children) in 156 centres from 56 countries. Mortality from infectious diseases was taken from World Health Organisation data. The Alexander project was used to identify antibiotic susceptibilities to common bacteria.
RESULTS
There were significant positive correlations between atopic eczema and mortality from all infectious diseases studied, diarrhoeal illness, tropical infections, and childhood infections. A negative correlation exists between the prevalence of rhinitis and Streptococcus pneumoniae susceptibility to penicillin and to erythromycin, rhinitis and Haemophilus influenzae susceptibility to ampicillin and between rhinoconjunctivitis and H. influenzae susceptibility to ampicillin.
CONCLUSION
Th1/Th2 responses might influence the pathogenesis of infectious disease mortality, while antibiotic overprescription could explain the negative association between atopy and antibiotic susceptibility.

Keyword

Rhinitis; Conjunctivitis, Allergic; Eczema; Asthma; Communicable Diseases; Anti-Infective Agents

MeSH Terms

Ampicillin
Anti-Infective Agents
Asthma
Bacteria
Child
Communicable Diseases*
Conjunctivitis, Allergic
Dermatitis, Atopic*
Eczema
Erythromycin
Global Health
Haemophilus influenzae
Humans
Hypersensitivity
Incidence
Influenza, Human
Mortality*
Penicillins
Prevalence*
Respiratory Sounds*
Rhinitis*
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Ampicillin
Anti-Infective Agents
Erythromycin
Penicillins

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Correlation of prevalence of atopic eczema with infectious disease (ID) mortality.

• 

  Fig. 2 Correlation of prevalence of rhinitis with Penicillin susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

• 

  Fig. 3 Correlation of prevalence of rhinitis with erythromycin susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumonia.

• 

  Fig. 4 Correlation of prevalence of rhinitis with ampicillin susceptibility of Haemophilus influenzae.

• 

  Fig. 5 Correlation of prevalence of rhinoconcjunctivitis with ampicillin susceptibility of Haemophilus influenzae.

• 

  Fig. 6 Posturated mechanistic interrelationships between infections and atopy.

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