Early Life Antibiotic Prescription for Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Is Associated With Higher Antibiotic Use in Childhood.

Background: Antibiotic prescription for uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in children is not recommended but remains common. The primary objective was to evaluate the relationship between antibiotic prescription for URTI prior to age 2 and antibiotic prescription for URTI after age 2. It was hypothesized that antibiotic prescription for URTI in early childhood may increase the risk of antibiotic use for subsequent URTIs.

Adherence to guidance for prioritizing higher risk groups for breast cancer screening during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Ontario Breast Screening Program: a descriptive study.

Background: Breast cancer screening in Ontario, Canada, was deferred during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a prioritization framework to resume services according to breast cancer risk was developed. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the pandemic within the Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP) by comparing total volumes of screening mammographic examinations and volumes of screening mammographic examinations with abnormal results before and during the pandemic, and to assess backlogs on the basis of adherence to the prioritization framework.

Methods: A descriptive study was conducted among women aged 50 to 74 years at average risk and women aged 30 to 69 years at high risk, who participated in the OBSP.

Early life exposure to air pollution and incidence of childhood asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema.

Rationale: There is growing evidence that air pollution may contribute to the development of childhood asthma and other allergic diseases. In this follow-up of the Toronto Child Health Evaluation Questionnaire (T-CHEQ) study, we examined associations between early life exposures to air pollution and incidence of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema from birth through adolescence.

Methods: 1286 T-CHEQ participants were followed from birth until outcome (March 31, 2016) or loss to follow-up, with a mean of 17 years of follow-up.

Sex differences in health services and medication use among older adults with asthma.

Sex differences are well documented in chronic disease populations with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Although recent research has suggested that asthma is more severe in older women compared to men, the extent of this difference remains poorly understood. The objective of this study was to compare rates of asthma-specific health services use (HSU) and medication use, between older women and men with asthma.

Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Overlap in Women. Incidence and Risk Factors.

Rationale: Women with asthma are at a high risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma and COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) as they age, which is a condition associated with a high mortality rate, low quality of life, and high healthcare costs. However, factors influencing the development of ACOS remain unclear.

Objectives: To quantify the risk of developing COPD in women in Ontario with asthma and identify factors that are associated with increased risk.

Association Between Inhaled Corticosteroid Use and Bone Fracture in Children With Asthma.

Importance: Daily use of inhaled corticosteroids is a widely recommended treatment for mild persistent asthma in children. There is concern that, similar to systemic corticosteroids, inhaled corticosteroids may have adverse effects on bone health.

Objective: To determine whether there is an increased risk of bone fracture associated with inhaled corticosteroid use in children with asthma.