[Respiratory and allergic disorders in children: differences in socio-economic status]

Abstract

The association between socio-economic status (SES) and respiratory and allergic disorders is controversial, and conflicting results are reported in literature. We examined this association using as indicators of SES parental education and occupation. Persistent cough resulted inversely associated with SES, while current wheezing and atopic dermatitis were directly associated with SES. The role of SES on frequency of respiratory and allergic conditions in Italy needs to be further investigated, although our results confirm a higher frequency of allergic dermatitis and a lower frequency of persistent cough in more advantaged families.