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 field BACKGROUND: 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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Thorax
Main Authors: Gunnbjornsdottir, M I, Franklin, K A, Norbäck, D, Bjornsson, E, Gislason, D, Lindberg, E, Svanes, C, Omenaas, E, Norrman, E, Jõgi, R, Jensen, E J, Dahlman-Höglund, A, Janson, C
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: British Medical Assn. 2006
Subjects:
Adult
Asthma
Europe
Female
Housing
Humans
Incidence
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Odds Ratio
Prevalence
Respiration Disorders
Risk Factors
Norway
Iceland
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2336/6533
https://doi.org/10.1136/thx.2005.057430
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Summary:To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field BACKGROUND: 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.

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