ALLERGIC CO-MORBIDITIES IN CHILDHOOD ASTHMA IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

Globally, asthma is the commonest chronic disorder of childhood, with increasing prevalence, especially in developing countries. Asthma severity and persistence is associated with allergic co-morbidities, which in turn are associated with poorer control and quality of life. Knowledge of the burden of co-morbid allergies may guide optimal asthma care. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence and pattern of co-morbid symptomatic allergies, as well as its association with asthma severity, in children with asthma, while assessing them during routine care at the Paediatric Allergy, Dermatology and Pulmonary Medicine Division of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. In this study, asthmatic children were recruited consecutively at our clinic. By means of a structured questionnaire and clinical evaluation, we obtained demographic and clinical data about asthma severity and the presence of co-morbidities: allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, atopic dermatitis and food allergy. Eighty children aged between six months and 15 years were recruited. Although most were referred to our unit with a clinical diagnosis of asthma, none of them had been diagnosed with the co-morbidities until presentation in our clinic. Overall, the presence of co-morbidities was not associated with asthma severity. However, the presence of allergic conjunctivitis was significantly associated with asthma severity but only it remained independently associated with persistent asthma. We conclude that allergic co-morbidity, mostly allergic rhinitis, is common among the asthmatic children who attend our clinic.