[Occurrence of allergy in school-age children and their parents in relation to atmospheric air pollution. Prospective study in Cracow].

The main purpose of the study was to estimate unknown frequency of allergy in children and in their parents in Krakow and to check the hypothesis that allergy may be related to environmental urban factors. The three-year prospective study was carried out in two areas of the city with contrast air pollution levels and covered 1129 children. The occurrence of allergy in children was based on information from the parents that the disease had been diagnosed by a physician. Data on atopy in parents were supported by the information from parents that atopy-related diseases had been diagnosed by a physician. The prevalence of allergy in boys was much higher than in girls (28.1% vs 17.6%) but the inverse was observed in parents--more frequently it occurred in mothers (17.8%) than in fathers (12.9%). Among parents the prevalence and incidence of atopy was not related to air pollution levels in the place of residence. However, the prevalence odds ratio for allergy in children after accounting for potential confounders (parental atopy, environmental tobacco smoke, social class and household characteristics), was significantly higher among those who lived in streets with higher traffic (OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.0-1.9) or in vicinity of local industrial emission sources (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.2-2.4) but it was not related to communal air pollutants (SO2/particulate matter). The similar analysis performed for new cases of allergy in children diagnosed over the three year period confirmed the conclusions gained from the prevalence data.