IS INFANT IMMUNIZATION A RISK FACTOR FOR CHILDHOOD ASTHMA OR ALLERGY

The Christchurch Health and Development Study comprises 1,265 children born in 1977. The 23 children who received no diphtheria/pertussis/te tanus (DPT) and polio immunizations had no recorded asthma episodes or consultations for asthma or other allergic illness before age 10 year s; in the immunized children, 23.1% had asthma episodes, 22.5% asthma consultations, and 30.0% consultations for other allergic illness. Sim ilar differences were observed at ages 5 and 16 years. These findings do not appear to be due to differential use of health services (althou gh this possibility cannot be excluded) or confounding by ethnicity, s ocioeconomic status, parental atopy, or parental smoking.