RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Association Between Hay Fever and Stroke in a Cohort of Middle Aged and Elderly Adults
JF The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine
JO J Am Board Fam Med
FD American Board of Family Medicine
SP 179
OP 183
DO 10.3122/jabfm.2008.03.070273
VO 21
IS 3
A1 Eric M. Matheson
A1 Marty S. Player
A1 Arch G. Mainous III
A1 Dana E. King
A1 Charles J. Everett
YR 2008
UL http://www.jabfm.org/content/21/3/179.abstract
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.