Table 1 Prevalence of asthma, eczema‐urticaria, hay fever, and combined allergic diseases among 14 140 students of Glasgow University born 1918–52.
| Participants | Asthma | Eczema‐urticaria | Hay fever | Allergy* | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % (N) | % (N) | ptrend | % (N) | ptrend | % (N) | ptrend | % (N) | ptrend | |
| Age at university examination | |||||||||
| 16–19 | 59.3 (8386) | 3.3 (277) | 0.158 | 4.0 (332) | 0.072 | 6.6 (549) | 0.001 | 12.1 (1012) | 0.159 |
| 20–24 | 33.4 (4717) | 3.3 (157) | 4.4 (206) | 6.3 (299) | 11.9 (561) | ||||
| 25–29 | 7.3 (1037) | 2.2 (23) | 5.4 (56) | 3.6 (37) | 10.0 (104) | ||||
| Sex | |||||||||
| Male | 75.9 (10732) | 3.6 (382) | <0.001 | 3.6 (382) | <0.001 | 6.1 (655) | 0.175 | 11.4 (1223) | 0.002 |
| Female | 24.1 (3408) | 2.2 (75) | 6.2 (212) | 6.8 (230) | 13.3 (454) | ||||
| Sibship size | |||||||||
| 0 | 18.6 (2634) | 2.5 (91) | 0.333 | 4.7 (123) | 0.024 | 7.9 (207) | <0.001 | 13.8 (364) | <0.001 |
| 1 | 36.8 (5197) | 3.3 (169) | 4.6 (238) | 6.4 (330) | 12.2 (633) | ||||
| 2 | 23.6 (3339) | 3.3 (109) | 3.6 (119) | 6.1 (203) | 11.4 (379) | ||||
| 3+ | 21.0 (2970) | 3.0 (88) | 3.8 (114) | 4.9 (145) | 10.1 (301) | ||||
| Birth order | |||||||||
| 1 | 55.8 (7885) | 3.6 (281) | 0.007 | 4.3 (338) | 0.247 | 7.0 (550) | <0.001 | 12.7 (1002) | <0.001 |
| 2 | 26.7 (3769) | 3.0 (113) | 4.4 (166) | 5.9 (222) | 11.7 (439) | ||||
| 3+ | 17.6 (2486) | 2.5 (63) | 3.6 (90) | 4.6 (113) | 9.5 (236) | ||||
| Childhood socioeconomic position | |||||||||
| I | 20.9 (2952) | 3.5 (104) | 0.571 | 5.0 (148) | 0.006 | 7.8 (230) | <0.001 | 13.7 (404) | <0.001 |
| II | 36.8 (5200) | 3.0 (158) | 4.2 (220) | 6.9 (356) | 12.1 (628) | ||||
| III | 35.7 (5053) | 3.3 (168) | 3.8 (194) | 5.1 (257) | 11.0 (556) | ||||
| IV–V | 6.6 (935) | 2.9 (27) | 3.4 (32) | 4.5 (42) | 9.5 (89) | ||||
| Period of birth | |||||||||
| 1918–30 | 24.9 (3518) | 2.7 (96) | 0.896 | 4.8 (169) | 0.011 | 5.2 (183) | 0.005 | 11.1 (392) | 0.638 |
| 1931–39 | 37.8 (5345) | 3.6 (194) | 4.2 (222) | 6.4 (344) | 12.2 (650) | ||||
| 1940–52 | 37.3 (5277) | 3.2 (167) | 3.9 (203) | 6.8 (358) | 12.0 (635) | ||||
| Family history of allergy | |||||||||
| No | 90.1 (12736) | 2.7 (349) | <0.001 | 3.7 (467) | <0.001 | 5.3 (670) | <0.001 | 10.3 (1305) | <0.001 |
| Yes | 9.9 (1404) | 7.7 (108) | 9.1 (127) | 15.3 (215) | 26.5 (372) | ||||
*Allergy refers to the participant reporting any of the three diseases (asthma, eczema‐urticaria, or hay fever).