BackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate the associations between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the most common neuropsychiatric disorder in school children, and childhood allergic disease by evaluating their respective prevalence.MethodsSubjects were comprised of first and second grade students in twenty two elementary schools in a city in the Republic of Korea. The mode of measurement for ADHD was based on DSM-IV from clinical interviews conducted by child psychiatrists. Along with the diagnostic interviews, we also used the epidemiological questionnaires, Computerized Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder Diagnostic System, the abbreviated Conner’s Parent Rating Scale (CPRS), and DuPaul’s ADHD Rating Scales. Allergic conditions, such as asthma, have been separately evaluated based on the questionnaire items whose validity and reliability were proved by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC). All questionnaires were completed by the subjects’ parents.ResultsThe lifetime prevalence rate of asthma in ADHD patients was 36.6%, compared to a prevalence of 24.3% in control subjects. The lifetime prevalence rate of allergic rhinitis in ADHD patients was 59.0%, compared to a prevalence of 47.0% in control subjects. Statistically significant difference has been found between the two groups. In the logistic regression model of the ADHD and the control group, the relative risk of asthma was 1.60 times higher (confidence interval 1.301-1.964), the relative risk of allergic rhinitis was 1.38 times higher (confidence interval 1.124-1.681), which showed statistical significance.ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest significant association between ADHD and childhood asthma and allergic rhinitis. Therefore, appropriate evaluation and treatment are needed for asthmatic children with attention-deficit symptoms, or allergic rhinitis with ADHD. Besides, further research is needed to determine the etiological approach towards ADHD, asthma, and allergic rhinitis.

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Sociodemographic factors, including age, sex, and father's education level were associated with environmental exposure to heavy metals in Korean children and adolescents. These biomonitoring data are valuable for ongoing surveillance of environmental exposure in this vulnerable population.

Factors Related to the Prevalence of R e s p i r a t o r y S y m p t o m s i n W o r k e r s i n a Petrochemical Complex: Jong PARK, et al. Department of Preventive Medicine, College ofMedicine, Chosun University, Korea-This study was performed to evaluate the prevalence of respiratory symptoms in workers in a petrochemical complex and to elucidate the relationship between the prevalence and work-related factors. A questionnaire was distributed to 5,983 male workers working in a petrochemical complex. As for the respiratory symptoms, cough was present in 2.4%, phlegm in 8.1%, wheezing in 2.8% and shortness of breath in 4.7% of the workers. The factors significantly related to respiratory symptoms were smoking history, wearing of protective devices, handling of substances toxic to the respiratory system, and history of atopy or respiratory disease (p<0.05). The substances toxic to the respiratory system were divided into 4 types, ie., dusts, solvents, metals, and vapors. When the analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of exposure to substance type on respiratory symptoms, the odds ratio of cough was 1.96 times higher in those workers exposed to dusts compared with those not exposed, 2.28 times for exposure to metals, 1.52 times for solvents, and 1.55 times for vapors, all showing significant differences (p<0.05). For phlegm, the odds ratio was 1.08 times higher in those workers exposed to dusts compared with those not exposed, 1.94 times for exposure to metals, 1.70 times for organic solvents, and 1.85 for vapors (p<0.05). For wheezing, the odds ratio was 2.38 times for exposure to dusts; for shortness of breath, it was 2.42 times for exposure to dusts, 2.89 times for metals, 2.10 times for organic solvents, and 2.14 times for vapors, all showing significant differences (p<0.05). In conclusion, work-related factors Occupational Health /Safety in the world significantly affected the respiratory symptoms in workers working in the petrochemical complex. Especially, these respiratory symptoms were significantly related to exposure to toxic substances and the wearing of protective devices. Thus, safety education and management are needed for these workers. (J Occup Health 2006; 48: 216-222)