World Journal of Pediatrics · 10 authors, 8 centres
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This systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies found that having siblings is associated with a slightly increased risk of temporary wheezing in infancy, but may be marginally protective against asthma in children aged 6 years and older.
This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized data from 134 observational studies involving over 3 million subjects to investigate the association between sibship composition (size and birth order) and the risk of childhood asthma and wheezing. The meta-analysis found that infants with at least one sibling or an older sibling had a slightly increased risk of any wheezing in the last ≤1.5 years. However, for asthma, having at least one older sibling was associated with a marginally protective effect for subjects aged ≥6 years. The effect estimates weakened in studies published after 2000. Limitations include the observational nature of the included studies, potential for confounding, heterogeneity in study methodologies and outcome definitions, and a predominance of studies from high-income countries, which may limit generalizability.
