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SELECTED ARTICLES FROM THE RECENT LITERATURE 2006
10/1/06
Sex steroid hormones and asthma
Summary
Background - Sex steroid hormones may influence the occurrence of asthma in young women.
Findings - Salam et al of the Univ of Southern California in Los Angeles investigated the development of asthma in women ages 13-28 years. Women with menarche before age 12 years had a 2 fold higher risk of asthma onset after puberty. In women without asthma in early adolescence, the subsequent use of oral contraceptives (OC) was associated with an increased risk of current wheezing (Odds Ratio = 1.75). Conversely, in women who had pre-existent asthma, the use of OC was associated with a reduced prevalence of current wheeze (Odds Ratio = 0.18).
Reference
J Allergy Clin Immunol 2006;117:1001-7
Editor's Comments
These findings provide indirect evidence that early secretion of female sex hormones may contribute to the known greater incidence of asthma in adolescent females than in adolescent males. The effects of OC ingestion were less impressive to me and more difficult to interpret with regard to the pathophysiology of asthma. Studies in a larger patient group and follow-up studies (including spirometry) before and after the patients stop OC would help resolve some uncertainties.
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