Background & Aims: Asthma is the most common chronic disease in childhood. Various results were found linking breastfeeding and childhood asthma. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between duration of breastfeeding and risk of asthma in children at age 2-8 years in Urmia district.

Materials & Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 200 cases that were selected from asthmatic patients. The control groups (n=400) with two controls per case were selected from other patient with irrelevant allergic disease and healthy children and were matched according to their age and gender.  Information related to duration of breastfeeding and other affected factors were collected using ISSAC phase II risk factor questionnaire in interview with patient’s relatives. The associations between breastfeeding pattern with risk of asthma were analyzed by multiple logistic regressions after adjust for affected variables using STATA 10 software.

Results: Duration of breast-feeding for two first years of life was associated with a reduced risk of asthma. However, continuing it for higher than two years was significantly associated with an increased risk. Exclusive breast-feeding for less than 6 months and using artificial feeding before 6 months increased risk of asthma among 2-8 year old children. But it wasn’t significant statistically.

Conclusion: Lasting of breastfeeding for first two year of life does not increase risk of asthma and exclusive breast-feeding for first 6 months of life has protective effect against asthma at 2-8 years.

SOURCE: URMIA MED J 2012: 23(1): 103 ISSN: 1027-3727