PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Matheson, Eric M.
AU  - Player, Marty S.
AU  - Mainous, Arch G.
AU  - King, Dana E.
AU  - Everett, Charles J.
TI  - The Association Between Hay Fever and Stroke in a Cohort of Middle Aged and Elderly Adults
AID  - 10.3122/jabfm.2008.03.070273
DP  - 2008 May 01
TA  - The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine
PG  - 179--183
VI  - 21
IP  - 3
4099  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/21/3/179.short
4100  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/21/3/179.full
SO  - J Am Board Fam Med2008 May 01; 21
AB  - Background: Asthma has been linked to stroke, but it is unknown if hay fever is related to stroke. This study was designed to investigate if there is an association between a reported history of hay fever and stroke during a 4.4-year study period.Methods: Analysis was performed of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, a cohort of middle aged and elderly adults. We examined the association of a reported history of hay fever to the development of stroke.Results: There were 9272 participants meeting our criteria, of which 125 had strokes. Of those with a history of hay fever, 2.2% had a stroke. Of those without a history of hay fever, 1.25% had a stroke. Participants with a history of hay fever had an unadjusted hazard ratio of 1.72 (95% CI, 1.08–2.27) for stroke versus participants without hay fever. Risk of stroke remained significant (hazard ratio, 1.87 [95% CI, 1.17–2.99]) after controlling for age, sex, race, smoking status, body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, alcohol use, and hyperlipidemia.Conclusion: A history of hay fever seems to be a risk factor for stroke, and this association may be an area for future research and intervention.