ASTHMA

Association of asthma and hay fever with irregular menstruation

C Svanes^1,2, F Gomez Real^1,3, T Gislason⁴, C Jansson⁵, R Jögi⁶, E Norrman⁷, L Nyström⁸, K Torén⁹, E Omenaas²

¹ Institute of Medicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
² Department of Thoracic Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway
³ Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway
⁴ Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Landspitali University Hospital, 105 Reykjavik, Iceland
⁵ Department of Medical Sciences: Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Uppsala University, 77185 Uppsala, Sweden
⁶ Foundation Tartu University Clinics, Lung Clinic, 51014 Tartu, Estonia
⁷ Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Allergology, Umeå University, 90185 Umeå, Sweden
⁸ Department of Public Health, Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology, Umeå University, 90185 Umeå, Sweden
⁹ Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41266 Göteborg, Sweden

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr C Svanes
Department of Thoracic Medicine, Haukeland Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway; cecilie.svanes{at}med.uib.no

Background: There is some evidence that asthmatic women are more likely to have abnormal sex hormone levels. A study was undertaken to determine whether asthma and allergy were associated with irregular menstruation in a general population, and the potential role of asthma medication for this association.

Methods: A total of 8588 women (response rate 77%) participated in an 8 year follow up postal questionnaire study of participants of the ECRHS stage I in Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Only non-pregnant women not taking exogenous sex hormones were included in the analyses (n = 6137).

Results: Irregular menstruation was associated with asthma (OR 1.54 (95% CI 1.11 to 2.13)), asthma symptoms (OR 1.47 (95% CI 1.16 to 1.86)), hay fever (OR 1.29 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.57)), and asthma preceded by hay fever (OR 1.95 (95% CI 1.30 to 2.96)) among women aged 26–42 years. This was also observed in women not taking asthma medication (asthma symptoms: OR 1.44 (95% CI 1.09 to 1.91); hay fever: OR 1.27 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.58); wheeze preceded by hay fever: OR 1.76 (95% CI 1.18 to 2.64)). Irregular menstruation was associated with new onset asthma in younger women (OR 1.58 (95% CI 1.03 to 2.42)) but not in women aged 42–54 years (OR 0.62 (95% CI 0.32 to 1.18)). The results were consistent across centres.

Conclusions: Younger women with asthma and allergy were more likely to have irregular menstruation. This could not be attributed to current use of asthma medication. The association could possibly be explained by common underlying metabolic or developmental factors. The authors hypothesise that insulin resistance may play a role in asthma and allergy.

Keywords: asthma; allergy; sex hormones; menstruation; polycystic ovary syndrome

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