Early life factors and
the long-term
development
of asthma
Hartmut Vogt
Linköping University Medical Dissertations No. 1329, 2012
Linköping University Medical Dissertations No. 1329, 2012 Division of Pediatrics
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University
581 83 Linköping, Sweden www.liu.se
Asthma affects millions of people worldwide and has become one of the most important public health issues in many countries. As genetic and environmental factors interact, asthma may be programmed very early in life. This thesis assessed the impact of different factors of early life on the development of asthma in childhood, adolescence and adulthood. The studies were based on data from Swedish national registers, and on a birth cohort that was initiated in 1974–75. Dispensed asthma medication was used as a proxy for asthma.