368 Better Protection from Eczema Among Turkish Migrants' Children Carries Over from Preschool Age to Adolescence

BACKGROUND: In a cross-sectional study of preschool children born in Germany we found significantly reduced rates of atopy, eczema and asthma among Turkish migrants' children than among their domestic peers (Clin Exp Allergy. 2002;32:526–531). About 10 years later we re-examined children from this study population in order to investigate whether better protection from atopy among Turkish migrants' children persists into adolescence. METHODS: The setting of the original survey was screening for school eligibility in an inner-city district of Berlin/Germany. The participants were preschool children with double German or double Turkish citizenship. The main outcome measures were IgE to common aeroallergens (CAP system Phadia, Phadiatop (3) 0.35 kU/L) and 1-year prevalence of allergic disease symptoms (ISAAC questionnaire in German and Turkish language). All available adolescents from the first survey were included in the follow-up survey. RESULTS: 147 German and 154 Turkish adolescents were included. Rates of allergic sensitization tended to be lower among Turkish migrants' children than among domestic children at preschool age (7.0% vs 13.8%) and in adolescence (33.1% vs 41.7%). Likewise, lower rates of eczema among Turkish migrants' children at preschool age (7.8% vs 18.4%; P = 0.010) carry over to adolescence (8.7% vs 22.4%, P = 0.008). Rates of asthma also tended to be lower at preschool age (2.6% vs 6.1%) and in adolescence (14.0% vs 16.3%). By contrast, hay fever at any time point was not lower among the Turkish migrants' children (preschool age, 3.9% vs 3.4%; adolescent, 19.1% vs 16.1%). CONCLUSIONS: This prospective study demonstrates that rates of allergic sensitization and of allergic diseases emerging earlier in life (eczema, asthma) tend to be persistently lower among Turkish migrants' children than among their German peers growing up in a very similar inner-city macro-environment. Further study is under way to examine potential allergy-protective factors in this cohort.