Risk behaviours and non-atopic comorbidities of adolescents with asthma.

Background: Risk behaviours, obesity, and neuropsychiatric comorbidity have been demonstrated in various chronic diseases but are less well described among adolescents with asthma.

Methods: We clinically assessed asthma status at the 18-year follow-up visit of the Danish Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) birth cohort born to mothers with asthma, and we investigated risk behaviours and non-atopic comorbidities. We included obesity and neuropsychiatric diseases captured from medical records and electronic questionnaires on behavioural traits and psychopathology. Associations between asthma status, risk behaviours, and non-atopic comorbidity were analysed using logistic regression models.

Results: A total of 370 individuals (90%) completed the 18-year visit, and 93 of these (25.1%) had current asthma. Comparing adolescents with and without asthma, binge drinking was reported in 75.2% vs 66.0%, current smoking in 26.9% vs 32.9%, and drug use in 16.1% vs 26.0%. High daily screen use was reported in 25.8% vs 16.6%; 26.9% vs 17.3% reported self-destructive behaviour; 24.7% vs 14.1% had neuropsychiatric comorbidity, and 10.8% vs 6.9% had obesity. In univariate analyses, asthma was associated with self-destructive behaviour, OR = 1.84 (1.03-3.21), p = 0.035, and neuropsychiatric comorbidity, OR = 2.01 (1.11-3.56), p = 0.019. In multivariable analysis with backward selection, asthma was associated with neuropsychiatric comorbidity, OR = 2.04 (1.004-4.12), p = 0.049, a trend of increased self-destructive behaviour, OR = 1.76 (0.93-3.29), p = 0.079, and less drug use, OR = 0.59 (0.29-0.96), p = 0.045.

Conclusion: Asthma was associated with neuropsychiatric comorbidity and self-destructive behaviour, but less drug use. There were no consistent associations with other risk behaviours or obesity.