High environmental relative moldiness index during infancy as a predictor of asthma at 7 years of age
Abstract
High environmental relative moldiness index during infancy as a predictor of asthma at 7 years of age Tiina Reponen, PhD*; Stephen Vesper, PhD†; Linda Levin, PhD*; Elisabet Johansson, PhD*; Patrick Ryan, PhD*; Jeffery Burkle, MS*; Sergey A. Grinshpun, PhD*; Shu Zheng, MS*; David I. Bernstein, MD*‡; James Lockey, MD, MS*‡; Manuel Villareal, MD‡; Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD§; and Grace LeMasters, PhD* Background: Mold exposures may contribute to the development of asthma, but previous studies have lacked a standardized approach to quantifying exposures. Objective: To determine whether mold exposures at the ages of 1 and/or 7 years were associated with asthma at the age of 7 years. Methods: This study followed up a high-risk birth cohort from infancy to 7 years of age. Mold was assessed by a DNA-based analysis for the 36 molds that make up the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) at the ages of 1 and 7 years. At the age of 7 years, children were evaluated for allergic sensitization and asthma based on symptom history, spirometry, exhaled nitric oxide, and airway reversibility. A questionnaire was administered to the parent regarding the child’s asthma symptoms and other potential cofactors. Results: At the age of 7 years, 31 of 176 children (18%) were found to be asthmatic. Children living in a high ERMI value (5.2) home at 1 year of age had more than twice the risk of developing asthma than those in low ERMI value homes (5.2) (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-6.26). Of the other covariates, only parental asthma (aOR, 4.0; 95% CI, 1.69-9.62) and allergic sensitization to house dust mite (aOR, 4.1; 95% CI, 1.55-11.07) were risk factors for asthma development. In contrast, air-conditioning at home reduced the risk of asthma development (aOR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.14-0.83). A high ERMI value at 7 years of age was not associated with asthma at 7 years of age. Conclusions: Early exposure to molds as measured by ERMI at 1 year of
Key Biomarkers
Symptom Clusters
Cited By (10)
- Infant origins of childhood asthma associated with specific moldsJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · 2012
- Household mold as a predictor of asthma risk: Recent progress, limitations, and future directionsJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · 2012
- Characteristics of annual mold variations and association with childhood allergic symptoms/diseases via combining surveys and home visit measurementsIndoor Air · 2022
- Dustborne and airborne Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in high versus low ERMI homesThe Science of The Total Environment · 2014
- Indoor Household Exposures and Associated Morbidity and Mortality Outcomes in Children and Adults in South AfricaInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2022
- Residential Dampness and Molds and the Risk of Developing Asthma: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisPLoS ONE · 2012
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