Risk factors for childhood asthma in Costa Rica

Background: Little is known about factors determining the pathogenesis and severity of asthma in Latin American countries. Costa Rica, one of the most prosperous Latin American nations, has a very high asthma prevalence. Objective: To examine the relation between potential risk factors and childhood asthma in Costa Rica. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 214 schoolchildren aged 10 to 13 years participating in phase II of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. Results: After adjustment for age, gender, area of residence, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and airway responsiveness to hypertonic saline solution, sensitization to house dust mites was associated with asthma (odds ratio [OR], 2.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1 to 4.4; p = 0.02). In the multivariate analysis, parental education no higher than high school (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.4 to 6.4; p < 0.01) and parental history of asthma (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.3 to 5.2; p < 0.01) were also independent predictors of childhood asthma. Conclusions: Sensitization to house dust mites, low parental education, and parental history of asthma are associated with asthma in Costa Rica.