Agricultural exposure and asthma risk in the AGRICAN French cohort.

Epidemiological studies have reported an increased risk of respiratory diseases in agricultural population, but a protective "farm-effect" has also been reported for asthma. In the AGRICAN cohort, self-reported doctor-diagnosed asthma was analyzed according to allergy, in relation with history of life-time exposure to 13 crops and 5 livestock, pesticide exposure and early life on a farm, taking into account sex, age, education and body mass index. Among the 1246 asthmatics (8.