Respiratory symptoms and bronchial responsiveness are related to dietary salt intake and urinary potassium excretion in male children.

To investigate whether dietary salt intake and urinary sodium and potassium levels are related to respiratory symptoms and bronchial responsiveness, a cross-sectional study among 2593 subjects aged 9 to 16 was conducted in four communities of the Latium region (Italy). Questionnaires were administered to the parents, urine samples were collected, lung function, methacholine challenge tests and prick tests were performed. Information about familial and personal dietary salt use and respiratory health was collected from the parents of 2439 (94%) subjects. A total of 2020 methacholine challenge tests and 916 urinary sodium and potassium levels were available for analysis. Personal table salt use was strongly related to cough and phlegm apart from colds (adjusted odds ratios, OR, 1.87, 95% confidence intervals, CI, 1.20-2.90), wheezing apart from colds (OR, 2.19, 95% CI, 1.27-3.77), wheezing with dyspnoea (OR, 1.45, 95% CI, 0.98-2.12) and wheezing after exercise (OR, 2.16, 95% CI, 1.35-3.44). These associations were mainly found in boys. Use of familial table salt and canned food showed no relation to respiratory symptoms. Increased bronchial responsiveness was associated with a higher urinary potassium excretion in boys, but not with urinary sodium. In conclusion, personal table salt use is related to an increased prevalence of bronchial symptoms; an increase in bronchial responsiveness among those with higher potassium excretion also seems to be implied. Although it is difficult to interpret the results of this study in causal terms, the findings might be relevant to the distribution of bronchial symptoms and diseases in the population.

[1]  S. Hurd,et al.  NHLBI workshop summary. Research needs and opportunities related to respiratory health of women. , 1992, The American review of respiratory disease.

[2]  F. Forastiere,et al.  Population values of lung volumes and flows in children: effect of sex, body mass and respiratory conditions. , 1992, The European respiratory journal.

[3]  C A Perucci,et al.  Effects of environment and passive smoking on the respiratory health of children. , 1992, International journal of epidemiology.

[4]  F. Forastiere,et al.  Indices of nonspecific bronchial responsiveness in a pediatric population. , 1991, Chest.

[5]  B. Rosner,et al.  Methacholine airway responsiveness and 24-hour urine excretion of sodium and potassium. The Normative Aging Study. , 1991, The American review of respiratory disease.

[6]  T. Medici,et al.  [Bronchial asthma and kitchen salt]. , 1991, Schweizerische medizinische Wochenschrift.

[7]  D. Cockcroft,et al.  Airway hyperresponsiveness. Relevance of random population data to clinical usefulness. , 1990, The American review of respiratory disease.

[8]  J. Schwartz,et al.  Dietary factors and their relation to respiratory symptoms. The Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. , 1990, American journal of epidemiology.

[9]  E. Sher,et al.  Effect of salbutamol on potassium influx in erythrocytes of allergic subjects and investigation of beta 2 receptor autoantibodies. , 1990, Annals of allergy.

[10]  P. Barnes,et al.  Potassium channels and airway function: new therapeutic prospects. , 1990, Thorax.

[11]  P. Burney,et al.  Effect of changing dietary sodium on the airway response to histamine. , 1989, Thorax.

[12]  A. May,et al.  Effect of dietary salt on bronchial reactivity to histamine in asthma. , 1988, BMJ.

[13]  Millar Bd,et al.  Avoidance of dietary sodium--a simple questionnaire. , 1988 .

[14]  A. Javaid,et al.  Effect of dietary salt on bronchial reactivity to histamine in asthma. , 1988, BMJ.

[15]  Bruce D. Millar,et al.  Avoidance of dietary sodium — a simple questionnaire , 1988, The Medical journal of Australia.

[16]  Changes in serum K+ in healthy and in asthmatic subjects during exercise. , 1988, The American review of respiratory disease.

[17]  P. Burney.  A diet rich in sodium may potentiate asthma. Epidemiologic evidence for a new hypothesis. , 1987, Chest.

[18]  P. Burney,et al.  Response to inhaled histamine and 24 hour sodium excretion. , 1986, British medical journal.

[19]  M. Mittelmark,et al.  Assessment of salt use at the table: comparison of observed and reported behavior. , 1985, American journal of public health.

[20]  J. Stamler,et al.  Assessment of sodium intake in epidemiological studies on blood pressure. , 1984, Annals of clinical research.

[21]  T. Clausen.  Adrenergic control of Na+-K+-homoeostasis. , 2009, Acta medica Scandinavica. Supplementum.

[22]  H. Nelson.  Diagnostic procedures in allergy. I. Allergy skin testing. , 1983, Annals of allergy.