摘要:

The present study investigated the content of fungal aerospores in homes and schools of house‐dust‐mite (HDM)‐sensitized and control children in a subarctic area. During winter, airborne microfungi were collected from the homes and schools of 19 HDM‐sensitized children and 19 nonatopic controls, all living in the community of Sør‐Varanger. northern Norway. The samples were cultivated and microfungal growth was identified microscopically. Indoor humidity, temperature, and carbon dioxide (C02) concentrations were measured. Housing conditions and sociodemographic and symptom data were obtained by a questionnaire.Penicilliumwas the most common microfungus in both homes and schools, followed by various yeasts,Aspergillus. Cladospohum, andMucor.The number of infected homes was equal in the HDM‐sensitized group and the control group, but aerospore counts were higher in the HDM‐sensitized group than in the control group. The lowest aerospore counts were found in the schools. High aerospore counts also appeared to be related to high indoor humidity. The keeping of pets and damp indoor conditions were more frequent in homes of HDM‐sensitized children than in the control group, whereas parental smoking and carpeting occurred with equal frequency in both groups. This indicates that no allergy sanitation measures had been undertaken, especially in the homes of the HDM‐s

ISSN:0905-6157    

DOI:10.1111/j.1399-3038.1995.tb00282.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1995

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Aim ‐To determine whether house dust mite (HDM) exposure in living rooms and bedrooms is higher in asthmatic children than in those of age and sex matched healthy children, living in the same area.Methods ‐Types of floor‐coverings were recorded and dust samples were collected by vacuum cleaning the total area of living rooms and bedrooms;Der pI andDer pII per gram fine dust concentrations were assessed. Twenty‐five asthmatic children (RAST HDM>= class 3, age 6–12 years) and 25 healthy children participated in the study.Results ‐The frequency of cleaning and prevalence of smooth floor‐coverings in bedrooms of asthmatic children were significantly higher. There were no differences in living rooms in this respect. The amount of fine dust/m2floor space was significantly lower in bedrooms of asthmatic children. Concentrations of HDM were low and no differences inDer pI andDer pII concentrations were observed between the two groups (asthmatic children:Der pI living room: 1.1 (0.04 ‐ 59.4 μg/ g), bedroom: 0.5 (below detection ‐ 19.3 μg/g); nonasthmatic children:Der pI living room: 1.4 (below detection ‐ 27.5 μg/g), bedroom: 0.9 (below detection ‐ 68.8 ug/g. Smooth floor coverings contained significantly less fine dust,Der pI, andDer pII than carpeted floors.Conclusions ‐Low HDM concentrations are a general finding in Dutch dwellings in the present generation of children.We observed a higher cleaning frequency, and more smooth floor coverings in bedrooms of asthmatic children than of healthy children, yet HDM concentrations were not significantly different. The latter can be explained by the observation that only 40% of the asthmatic children had smooth floor coverings in their bedrooms. Smooth floor coverings contain less fine dust and lower concentrations ofDer pI andDe

ISSN:0905-6157    

DOI:10.1111/j.1399-3038.1995.tb00283.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1995

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

For estimation of the prevalence, degree of severity, and association with outdoor pollution, a questionnaire on asthma and other atopic diseases was distributed to the parents of 4666 7–13‐year‐olds, comprising all the children in 36 schools in Telemark County, Norway, including 37% of the schoolchildren in the county. The response rate was 94%. In a validity study employing clinical evaluations, the questionnaire‐based diagnosis of asthma was found to have a sensitivity of 0.96 and a specificity of 0.88. The lifetime prevalence of asthma in Telemark was 9% (boys 11.3%, girls 6.6% p<0.001). There was no significant difference in the lifetime prevalence of asthma by pollution zone; 8.3% in heavily, 9.3% in moderately, and 9.2% in minimally polluted zones. The asthma prevalence was significantly higher (14.2% p<0.05) among boys in the coastal area of the county than in the mountainous area (8.9%). Both of these areas were in the minimal pollution zone. Of asthma cases, 67% were categorized as mild, 29% as moderate, and 4% as severe. The lifetime prevalence was 17.8% (boys 21.3%, girls 14.2% p<0.001) for allergic rhinitis, 13.2% (boys 11.4%, girls 15.2% p<0.001) for atopic eczema, and 29.6% (boys 31.7%, girls 27.4% p<0.01) for overall atopic disease (asthma, allergic rhinitis, eczema). These findings are not compatible with the hypothesis that outdoor pollution is associated with the lifetime prevalence of asthma in school‐age children. The results also show that less than 0.5% of schoolchildren suffer from seve

ISSN:0905-6157    

DOI:10.1111/j.1399-3038.1995.tb00284.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1995

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

It has been suggested that patients with allergic rhinitis who present nonspecific bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) are those most likely to develop asthma. Therefore, a study was conducted in children with rhinoconjunctivitis to ascertain whether BHR to methacholine might predict the development of asthma in these patients. Fifteen patients with hay fever and no previous symptoms of asthma were selected. All underwent clinical symptom tests and methacholine tests, during the pollen season in the 4 consecutive years following the start of the study. At the end of this period, 5 patients had developed asthma. It may thus be affirmed that, in this group, neither the presence nor the degree of previous BHR was useful for predicting which patients would later develop asthma.

ISSN:0905-6157    

DOI:10.1111/j.1399-3038.1995.tb00285.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1995

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

To examine the increase in eosinophils and basophilic cells in the respiratory areas of infants and young children with asthma (n= 111), we analyzed the numbers of eosinophils and basophilic cells in sputum and nasal smears. The number of children with eosinophilia grades of 2+ or greater (>= 11 cells/five fields in x 1000 magnification) in sputum and nasal smears, respectively, in each age group was as follows: 33% and 21% under 1 year, 59% and 64% at 1 year, and 79–80% and 75–78% at 2–3 years. An increased infiltration of basophilic cells according to age was also observed. Infiltration of these cells began earlier than the appearance of IgE antibodies to mite in

ISSN:0905-6157    

DOI:10.1111/j.1399-3038.1995.tb00286.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1995

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

It has been suggested that atopy is associated with an impairment in the δ6‐desaturation of (n‐6)‐polyunsaturated fatty acids and subsequently low levels of eicosanoid precursors. To evaluate this hypothesis we analyzed the fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids and plasma cholesterolest‐ers in a well‐defined group of children with atopic bronchial asthma (n = 17) and age‐matched healthy controls (n = 10). Atopic children showed significantly higher levels of linoleic acid and lower proportions of arachidonic acid in plasma lipids. No differences were observed with respect to γ‐lino‐lenic acid (GLA) and dihomo‐γ‐linolenic acid (DHLA). It is concluded that there is no biochemical evidence for a δ6‐desaturation defect in atopic children and therefore no justification for the supplementation of GLA and DHLA; e.g. by the use of evening

ISSN:0905-6157    

DOI:10.1111/j.1399-3038.1995.tb00287.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1995

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The associations between parental smoking habits during pregnancy, family history of allergy, and IgE levels in cord‐serum IgE (clgE) were investigated prospectively in 1251 infants. Mean clgE levels were similar in infants with positive and negative family history of allergy (0.50 and 0.54 kU/1, respectively). In infants with a positive family history of allergy whose mothers smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day, however, the mean clgE level was significantly higher (0.78 kU/1) than that in infants of nonsmoking mothers (p = 0.011). Similarly, the mean clgE level was significantly higher in boys (0.61 kU/1) than in girls (0.51 kU/1) of nonsmoking parents (p = 0.03). However, in infants of smoking parents, there was no significant difference in the mean clgE level between boys and girls. A total of 178 (14%) mothers and 477 (38%) fathers were current smokers, and in 128 (10%) cases, both parents were active smokers. The mean clgE level tended to be slightly higher in infants of smoking mothers, especially when the mother consumed more than 10 cigarettes a day (0.63 vs 0.54 kU/1) (p>0.05). Thus, clgE levels were higher only in genetically prone babies whose mothers consumed more than 10 cigarettes a da

ISSN:0905-6157    

DOI:10.1111/j.1399-3038.1995.tb00288.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1995

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of the month of birth on the development of atopic disease and the rate of sensitization to common environmental allergens in Greece. Analysis of the month of birth of 1755 individuals with atopic disease (asthma, rhinitis, atopic dermatitis), out of whom 771 had positive skin tests/RAST toDermatophagoides pteronyssinusand mixed grasses, in comparison to total live births (2 877 733) in Greece during 1968–88, was performed and showed significant correlation (p<0.001) between month of birth and development of atopic disease in general. Months of birth May to August correlated best with bronchial asthma (p<0.05) and rhinitis (p<0.05), and July to August with atopic dermatitis (p<0.05). Significantly greater than the expected frequency was found forD. pteronyssinussensitivity for months of birth May to August (p<0.01), for mixed grass pollen March to August (p<0.01), and forOlea europaeapollen mainly March (p<0.05). Our results indicate that in Greece high‐risk birth months for development of atopy are May to August, whereas for sensitization to common aeroallergens they are March forO. europaea, March to August for mixed grasses, and May to August for D.pteronyssi

ISSN:0905-6157    

DOI:10.1111/j.1399-3038.1995.tb00289.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1995

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Cockroach‐specific IgE antibodies (CR‐IgE) were assayed in the sera of 51 asthmatic and 33 healthy, nonallergic children. Cockroach IgE was detected in 43 asthmatic children (84%), seven of whom showed a high CR‐IgE response (>= 1.5 IU/ml). Only three of the healthy children (9%) had a positive response, and none of them were in the strongly positive category. The difference from the asthmatic group was statistically significant (P<0.001). Children with clinically mild asthma had a significantly lower CR‐IgE posi‐tivity rate than moderate and severe cases. The presence of other allergic manifestations or family history of atopy had no relationship to CR‐IgE, nor did the residency, age, duration of illness, or total serum IgE levels. However, the CR‐IgE titres were positively correlated with the absolute eosinophil counts. Thus, cockroach antigens are common inhalant allergens in Egyptian asthm

ISSN:0905-6157    

DOI:10.1111/j.1399-3038.1995.tb00290.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1995

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0905-6157    

DOI:10.1111/j.1399-3038.1995.tb00291.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1995

数据来源: WILEY