Prevalence and incidence of respiratory symptoms in relation to indoor dampness: the RHINE study

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldBACKGROUND: An association between indoor dampness and respiratory symptoms has been reported, but dampness as a risk factor for the onset or remission of respiratory symptoms and asthma is not well documented. METHOD: This follow up study included 16 190 subjects from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Estonia who had participated in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS I). Eight years later the same subjects answered a postal questionnaire that included questions on respiratory symptoms and indicators of indoor dampness. RESULTS: Subjects living in damp housing (18%) had a significantly (p<0.001) higher prevalence of wheeze (19.1% v 26.0%), nocturnal breathlessness (4.4% v 8.4%), nocturnal cough (27.2% v 36.5%), productive cough (16.6% v 22.3%) and asthma (6.0% v 7.7%). These associations remained significant after adjusting for possible confounders. Indoor dampness was a risk factor for onset of respiratory symptoms but not for asthma onset in the longitudinal analysis (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.40). Remission of nocturnal symptoms was less common in damp homes (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.97). CONCLUSIONS: Subjects living in damp housing had a higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms and asthma. Onset of respiratory symptoms was more common and remission of nocturnal respiratory symptoms was less common in subjects living in damp housing

Reliability of EP3OS symptom criteria and nasal endoscopy in the assessment of chronic rhinosinusitis--a GA² LEN study

Our findings suggest that a symptom-based definition of CRS, according to the epidemiological part of the EP3OS criteria, has a moderate reliability over time, is stable between study centers, is not influenced by the presence of allergic rhinitis, and is suitable for the assessment of geographic variation in prevalence of CRS

Exterior view of the living room in the "House of Tomorrow" exhibition at Exhibition Building, Melbourne, 1949 [picture] /

Condition: Good.; Title devised by cataloguer based on inscription on reverse.; Part of Wolfgang Sievers photographic archive.; Sievers number: R 1004 D.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3997109

Residential dampness and molds and the risk of developing asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Studies from different geographical regions have assessed the relations between indoor dampness and mold problems and the risk of asthma, but the evidence has been inconclusive.To assess the relations between indicators of indoor dampness and mold problems and the risk of developing new asthma, and to investigate whether such relations differ according to the type of exposure.A systematic literature search of PubMed database from 1990 through March 2012 and the reference lists of recent reviews and of relevant articles identified in our search.Cohort/longitudinal and incident case-control studies assessing the relation between mold/dampness and new asthma were included.Three authors independently evaluated eligible articles and extracted relevant information using a structured form.SIXTEEN STUDIES WERE INCLUDED: 11 cohort and 5 incident case-control studies. The summary effect estimates (EE) based on the highest and lowest estimates for the relation between any exposure and onset of asthma were for the highest estimates 1.48 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.23-1.78, random-effects model, Q-statistic 38.75 (16), P = 0.001) ; and for the lowest estimates: 1.27 (95% CI 1.06-1.53, random-effects model, Q-statistic 38.12 (16), P = 0.000) [corrected].The summary effect estimates were significantly elevated for dampness (fixed-effects model: EE 1.33, 95% CI 1.12-1.56, Q-statistic 8.22 (9), P = 0.413), visible mold (random-effects model; EE 1.29, 95% CI 1.04-1.60, 30.30 (12), P = 0.001), and mold odor (random-effects model; EE 1.73, 95% CI 1.19-2.50, Q-statistics 14.85 (8), P = 0.038), but not for water damage (fixed-effects model; EE 1.12, 95% CI 0.98-1.27). Heterogeneity was observed in the study-specific effect estimates.The evidence indicates that dampness and molds in the home are determinants of developing asthma. The association of the presence of visible mold and especially mold odor to the risk of asthma points towards mold-related causal agents