Korean J Fam Pract. 2016; 6(6): 688-694  https://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2016.6.6.688
The Association between Passive Smoking and Serum Total Immunoglobulin E, Allergic Diseases in Korean Nonsmoking Adults: Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010
Se-Ryun Kwon, Dajung Park*, Su-Jung Shim, Ji-Yeong Heo, Soon-Min Kwon, Dong-Young Seo
Department of Family Medicine, Good Gang-An Hospital, Busan, Korea
Dajung Park
Tel: +82-51-610-9060, Fax: +82-51-621-1500
E-mail: pdajung@hanmail.net
Received: August 1, 2016; Accepted: August 19, 2016; Published online: December 20, 2016.
© The Korean Academy of Family Medicine. All rights reserved.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background: There is evidence that passive smoking causes an increase in serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels and an increased risk of allergic diseases, such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis. However, studies for nonsmoking adults in Korea are scarce; thus, we investigated the association between passive smoking and serum total IgE levels and allergic diseases in Korean nonsmoking adults.
Methods: We used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010. The study included 3,635 nonsmoking adults. Multivariate logistic regression was performed and odds ratios were adjusted for sex, age, body mass index, physical activity, and place of residence.
Results: Of the total study population, 15.4% had allergic rhinitis, 3.4% had asthma, and 3.1% had atopic dermatitis. Exposure to passive smoking at home or at the workplace occurred in 35.9% of subjects. Serum total IgE levels were increased in 36.8% of subjects. We found increased serum total IgE levels and an increased prevalence of allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis in subjects exposed to passive smoking, compared to subjects not exposed to passive smoking. However, the difference was significant only for atopic dermatitis. The odds ratios for serum total IgE levels, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis, with exposure to passive smoking, were not statistically significant.
Conclusion: This study did not reveal an association between passive smoking and serum total IgE levels, and most allergic diseases, in Korean nonsmoking adults.
Keywords: Tobacco Smoke Pollution; Immunoglobulin E; Allergic Rhinitis; Asthma; Atopic Dermatitis
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