Domestic aeroallergen exposures among infants in an English town

Atkinson, Warwick; Harris, Jessica; Mills, P; Moffat, S; White, C. J.; Lynch, Olwyn; Jones, Meinir; Cullinan, Paul; Taylor, A J Newman

doi:10.1183/09031936.99.13358599

Cited by 44 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…A bias, whereby allergic families tend not to keep pets, is an improbable explanation for these findings. The relationship was not affected by adjustment for parental allergy, and an earlier report of this cohort showed that the keeping of a pet cat is unrelated to general or specific allergies within the family [23]. Bacterial, viral and parasitic infections may each be transmitted from dogs to humans [24] although with uncertain frequency, and the current authors suggest that the present findings support a protective role for early (unidentified) infection(s) in the development of atopy; alternatively levels of endotoxin, itself postulated to be protective, may be higher in homes where pets are kept [25].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Can early infection explain the sibling effect in adult atopy?

Cullinan¹,

Harris²,

Taylor³

et al. 2003

European Respiratory Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Atopy is strongly and inversely related to family size, a pattern which is plausibly assumed to reflect a protective effect of early infection. The current study tested this hypothesis by case-referent analysis of an adult cohort in the UK.The study established that atopy, defined by prick tests to common aeroallergens, was less common among those from larger families after adjustment for potentially confounding factors. In particular, a higher number of brothers appeared to offer protection. The current authors attempted to explain this distribution by examining contemporary family-doctor records of early childhood infections; and by a number of other indirect indices of early-life "hygiene".The sibling effect was unexplained by evidence of infection with either hepatitis A or Helicobacter pylori, or by counts of infections or antibiotic prescriptions in early life. There was a significant and independent negative association between the number of gastrointestinal infections before the age of 5 yrs and the odds of atopy. Dog ownership and home moving in early life also displayed potentially protective associations.Although the current study replicates the finding that atopy is inversely associated with family size this could not be explained by documentary or serological evidence of early infection. The findings support the suggestion that the "sibling effect" in atopy may not simply reflect protection by early infection. Eur Respir J 2003; 22: 956-961.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Can early infection explain the sibling effect in adult atopy?

Cullinan¹,

Harris²,

Taylor³

et al. 2003

European Respiratory Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…31 Measurements of indoor NO 2 concentrations in Barcelona were executed as part of a study on the effects of preand postnatal environmental exposures in the inception of atopy and asthma. 24 Because the study cohort was formed by infants, measurement of personal exposure to NO 2 could have been a difficult task. Hence, an approximation was made in the design of the study considering that indoor NO 2 sources tend to be the dominant contributors to personal exposure, because of the large percentage of time spent inside the home by this segment of the population, they were most susceptible to health impacts from air pollutants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…24 A total of 340 dwellings were studied from 1996 to 1999 in four different areas of Barcelona: (1) Poblenou, (2) EixampleSant Gervasi, (3) La Sagrera, and (4) Sants. These sampling sites represent 80% of the total extension of the city and correspond to the sites where fixed monitoring stations are in use to measure levels of different air pollutants at the roadside.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…23 Barcelona is one of the cities taking part in a multicenter prospective study to investigate the effects of several pre-and postnatal environmental exposures in the inception of atopy and asthma. 24 As part of this study, and because of possible clinical relevance of NO 2 as toxic agent in children health, indoor NO 2 concentrations and factors affecting these values were determined in dwellings of Barcelona. Indeed, it has been widely described that personal exposure to NO 2 in individuals living in a household with important indoor sources of NO 2 (i.e., gas cooking) is strongly dependent on both indoor and outdoor concentrations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Sources and Concentrations of Indoor Nitrogen Dioxide in Barcelona, Spain

Garcı́a-Algar

Zapater

Figueroa

et al. 2003

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sources and concentrations of indoor nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) were examined in Barcelona, Spain, during 1996Spain, during -1999. A total of 340 dwellings of infants participating in a hospital-based cohort study were selected from different areas of the city. Passive filter badges were used for indoor NO 2 measurement over 7-30 days. Dwelling inhabitants completed a questionnaire on housing characteristics and smoking habits. Data on outdoor NO 2 concentrations were available for the entire period of the study in the areas of the city where indoor concentrations were determined. Bivariate analysis was performed to investigate relationships between indoor NO 2 concentrations on one hand and outdoor NO 2 concentrations, housing, and occupant characteristics on the other. Stepwise multiple linear regression was performed with variables that were found to have a significant bivariate relationship. Indoor NO 2 mean values ranged between 23.57 ppb in 1996 and 27.02 ppb in 1999, with the highest yearly value of 27.82 ppb in 1997. In the same time period, mean outdoor NO 2 concentration ranged between 25.26 and 25.78 ppb with a peak of 30.5 ppb in 1998. Multiple regression analysis showed that principal sources of indoor NO 2 concentrations were the use of a gas cooker, the absence of an extractor fan when cooking, and cigarette smoking. The absence of central heating was also associated with higher NO 2 concentrations. Finally, each ppb increase in outdoor NO 2 was associated with a 1% increase in indoor concentrations.

show abstract

“…Within the framework of a cohort study on the effects of pre-and postnatal environmental exposures in the inception of atopy and asthma (Asthma Multicenter Infant Cohort Study, AMICS) (Atkinson et al, 1999), we measured biomarkers of acute exposure to tobacco smoke (cotinine in cord serum and maternal and newborn urine) in relation to maternal self-reported questionnaire . In order to extend the information on smoking intake and exposure to the entire pregnancy, we measured nicotine in maternal and newborn hair and investigated the relation between these biomarkers of chronic exposure and selfreported smoking habits.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of chronic exposure to cigarette smoke and its change during pregnancy by segmental analysis of maternal hair nicotine

Pichini

Garcı́a-Algar

Muñoz

et al. 2003

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study aimed to investigate the association between biomarkers of fetal exposure to smoking during the whole pregnancy, nicotine in maternal and newborns hair samples, and quantitative measurement of smoking intake and exposure evaluated by maternal self-reported questionnaire. Study subjects were 150 mothers and their newborns from a hospital in Barcelona. A questionnaire including smoking habits was completed in the third trimester of pregnancy and on the day of delivery. Nicotine content was measured in two subsequent segments of maternal hair accounting for the first and last months of pregnancy, and in fetal hair. The geometric mean of nicotine concentration in maternal hair discriminated between nonexposition (3.84 and 2.80 ng/mg in distal and proximal hair segment, respectively) and exposition to cigarette smoke during pregnancy (6.06 and 4.30 ng/mg in distal and proximal hair segment, respectively) (Po0.05), and between these two classes and active smoking (14.40 and 11.08 ng/mg in distal and proximal hair segment, respectively). Maternal hair nicotine was able to differentiate levels of exposure to tobacco smoke and levels of intake. Nicotine concentration in hair from newborns did not differentiate between exposure and nonexposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in nonsmoking mothers. Finally, chronic exposure to cigarette smoke during pregnancy, assessed by maternal hair nicotine, correlated negatively with anthropometric parameters of newborns.

show abstract

Domestic aeroallergen exposures among infants in an English town

Cited by 44 publications

References 15 publications

Can early infection explain the sibling effect in adult atopy?

Can early infection explain the sibling effect in adult atopy?

Sources and Concentrations of Indoor Nitrogen Dioxide in Barcelona, Spain

Assessment of chronic exposure to cigarette smoke and its change during pregnancy by segmental analysis of maternal hair nicotine

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About