Left-handedness in asthmatic children

Abstract

Left-handedness has been associated with asthma and allergic disorders. The Geschwind-Behan-Galaburda (GBG) hypothesis could explain this association. In view of previous findings, we investigated the distribution of laterality scores among asthmatic children and controls aged 4-8 years old. Seventy families with asthmatic children were administered the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire and the Edinburgh Left-handedness Inventory. A sample of 70 families with non-asthmatic, healthy children was used as controls. The majority of children had mild asthma. Ambidexterity was the main feature in the asthmatic children. A statistically significant difference in the laterality quotient (LQ) distribution was found in the group of asthmatic children with allergic rhinitis (LQ mean value in the asthmatic children with allergic rhinitis: 42.85 vs. 79.50 in the rest of the asthmatic children). These results suggest that there is a tendency towards left-handedness in asthmatic children and lend support to the GBG hypothesis.