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Objectives: We investigated patterns of multimorbidities among asthma, allergies, and respiratory illnesses in preschool children. We investigated multimorbidities of lifetime asthma, allergic rhinitis, eczema, food allergy, pneumonia, and ear infections; and multimorbidities of current (in the last year before the survey) wheeze, dry cough, rhinitis, eczema, and common cold during childhood. We further analyzed whether prevalences of these multimorbidities were due to chance.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 72 kindergartens of Shanghai, China. Parents of preschool children were surveyed with a modified ISAAC questionnaire. Observed prevalences (OPs), expected prevalences (EPs), absolute excess comorbidities (AECs), and relative excess comorbidities (RECs) of various combinations of illnesses were calculated to indicate whether the combined illnesses were related.Results: We analyzed questionnaires for children aged 4–6 years, whose 13,335 questionnaires were the majority of the total 15,266 returned questionnaires (response rate: 85.3%). The studied illnesses were common. For children who had more than three lifetime or current illnesses, OPs tended to be higher than EPs. Most OPs and EPs were higher in boys than in girls, and were higher in children with a family history of atopy (FHA) than in children without FHA. AECs and RECs between boys and girls as well as between children with and without FHA were substantially different.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that multimorbidities among childhood asthma, allergies, and respiratory illnesses are likely not random, but rather share etiology. Specific patterns of childhood asthma multimorbidities perhaps differ between boys and girls and between children with and without FHA. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: We investigated associations of breastfeeding (BF) durations and patterns and of timing of other dietary introductions with prevalence of asthma, wheeze, hay fever, rhinitis, pneumonia, and eczema among preschool children.Methods: During April 2011-April 2012, we conducted a cross-sectional study in 72 kindergartens from five districts of Shanghai, China and obtained 13,335 questionnaires of children 4–6-years-old. We used multiple logistic regression models to evaluate the target associations.Results: Compared to children who were never BF, children who were exclusively breastfed 3–6 months had the lowest risk of asthma (adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval: 0.81, 0.72–0.91) and wheeze (0.93, 0.87–0.99); and exclusive BF >6 months was significantly associated with a reduced risk of hay fever (0.93, 0.89–0.97), rhinitis (0.97, 0.94–0.99), pneumonia (0.97, 0.94–0.99), and eczema (0.96, 0.93–0.99). No significant associations were found between time when fruits or vegetables were introduced and the studied diseases. Associations were independent of the child's sex and parent's ownership of the current residence. Longer duration BF was only significantly protective when there was no family history of atopy.Conclusions: This study suggests that heredity, but not sex and socioeconomic status, may negatively impact the effect of BF on childhood airway and allergic diseases. Our findings support China's national recommendation that mothers provide exclusive BF for the first four months, and continue partial BF for more than 6 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]