Home Dampness and Molds as Determinants of Allergic Rhinitis in Childhood: A 6-Year, Population-based Cohort Study

摘要

The authors assessed the relation between exposure to dampness and molds in dwellings and the developmentnof allergic rhinitis in childhood in a 6-year, population-based prospective cohort study of 1,863 children aged 1–7nyears at baseline in 1991 (follow-up rate, 77%) from Espoo, Finland. The studied exposures were history of waterndamage, presence of moisture and visible mold, and perceived mold odor in the home, based on parentadministerednquestionnaire. A total of 246 (13.2%) children developed physician-diagnosed allergic rhinitis duringnthe study period, resulting in an incidence rate of 440 cases per 10,000 person-years (95% confidence interval (CI):n387, 499). In logistic regression adjusting for confounding, any mold or dampness exposure indicator at baselinen(adjusted odds ratio ?1.55, 95% CI: 1.10, 2.18), at follow-up (adjusted odds ratio ?1.62, 95% CI: 1.21, 2.18), ornboth (adjusted odds ratio ?1.96, 95% CI: 1.29, 2.98) was an important independent determinant of the risk ofnallergic rhinitis. Of the individual indicators, water damage and moisture on the surfaces were consistent determinantsnof allergic rhinitis. The results of this cohort study, which assessed exposure before the onset of allergicnrhinitis, strengthen considerably the evidence of the role of indoor dampness problems as determinants of allergicnrhinitis in children.