Indoor environment in three North European cities in relationship to atopy and respiratory symptoms
To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field Background: In the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) I, the lowest prevalence of asthma and atopy was found in Reykjavík (Iceland) and Tartu (Estonia). The aim of this st...
Published in: | The Clinical Respiratory Journal |
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/2336/80038 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-699X.2008.00122.x |
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ftlandspitaliuni:oai:www.hirsla.lsh.is:2336/80038 2023-05-15T16:51:49+02:00 Indoor environment in three North European cities in relationship to atopy and respiratory symptoms Gunnbjornsdottir, M I Norbäck, D Björnsson, E Soon, A Jarvis, D Jõgi, R Gislason, D Gislason, T Janson, C Correspondence to María Ingibjörg Gunnbjörnsdóttir, MD, PhD, Department of Allergy, Respiratory Medicine and Sleep, Landspitali University Hospital, IS 108 Reykjavík, Iceland. 2009-09-07 http://hdl.handle.net/2336/80038 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-699X.2008.00122.x en eng Blackwell Publishing Ltd http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-699X.2008.00122.x Clin. Respir. J. 2009, 3(2):85-94 1752-6981 1752-699X doi:10.1111/j.1752-699X.2008.00122.x http://hdl.handle.net/2336/80038 Clinical Respiratory Journal Signs and Symptoms Respiratory Epidemiology Article 2009 ftlandspitaliuni https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-699X.2008.00122.x 2022-05-29T08:21:24Z To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field Background: In the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) I, the lowest prevalence of asthma and atopy was found in Reykjavík (Iceland) and Tartu (Estonia). The aim of this study was to compare home environments in Reykjavík and Tartu to a town with a higher prevalence of asthma and atopy (Uppsala, Sweden) in an attempt to identify factors in the indoor environment that could explain these differences. Method: A random sample of 129 ECRHS II participants was included in this analysis at each of the three study centres. The subjects answered a questionnaire, blood was analysed for specific immunoglobulin E, a methacholine test was performed and home indoor measurements were taken. Results: The prevalence of atopy was 11.9% in Reykjavík, 35.5% in Uppsala and 28.2% in Tartu (P < 0.04). The level of indoor cat allergen was significantly lower in Reykjavík compared with Uppsala (P = 0.05). No mite allergens were identified in the 41 homes investigated in Reykjavík, while this was the case in 16% and 72% of the households in Uppsala and Tartu, respectively (P = 0.001). A positive association was found between asthma symptoms and cat allergen levels [odds ratio 1.53 (95% confidence interval 1.04-2.24)], while the levels of viable moulds were significantly associated with increased bronchial responsiveness. Conclusions: Indoor exposure to allergens, moulds and bacteria was lower in Reykjavík than in the Swedish and Estonian centres. This finding indicates that the lower prevalence of allergic sensitization in Reykjavík may partly be related to lower indoor allergen exposure. Article in Journal/Newspaper Iceland Reykjavík Reykjavík Mite Hirsla - Landspítali University Hospital research archive Reykjavík The Clinical Respiratory Journal 3 2 85 94 |
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Open Polar |
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Hirsla - Landspítali University Hospital research archive |
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ftlandspitaliuni |
language |
English |
topic |
Signs and Symptoms Respiratory Epidemiology |
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Signs and Symptoms Respiratory Epidemiology Gunnbjornsdottir, M I Norbäck, D Björnsson, E Soon, A Jarvis, D Jõgi, R Gislason, D Gislason, T Janson, C Indoor environment in three North European cities in relationship to atopy and respiratory symptoms |
topic_facet |
Signs and Symptoms Respiratory Epidemiology |
description |
To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field Background: In the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) I, the lowest prevalence of asthma and atopy was found in Reykjavík (Iceland) and Tartu (Estonia). The aim of this study was to compare home environments in Reykjavík and Tartu to a town with a higher prevalence of asthma and atopy (Uppsala, Sweden) in an attempt to identify factors in the indoor environment that could explain these differences. Method: A random sample of 129 ECRHS II participants was included in this analysis at each of the three study centres. The subjects answered a questionnaire, blood was analysed for specific immunoglobulin E, a methacholine test was performed and home indoor measurements were taken. Results: The prevalence of atopy was 11.9% in Reykjavík, 35.5% in Uppsala and 28.2% in Tartu (P < 0.04). The level of indoor cat allergen was significantly lower in Reykjavík compared with Uppsala (P = 0.05). No mite allergens were identified in the 41 homes investigated in Reykjavík, while this was the case in 16% and 72% of the households in Uppsala and Tartu, respectively (P = 0.001). A positive association was found between asthma symptoms and cat allergen levels [odds ratio 1.53 (95% confidence interval 1.04-2.24)], while the levels of viable moulds were significantly associated with increased bronchial responsiveness. Conclusions: Indoor exposure to allergens, moulds and bacteria was lower in Reykjavík than in the Swedish and Estonian centres. This finding indicates that the lower prevalence of allergic sensitization in Reykjavík may partly be related to lower indoor allergen exposure. |
author2 |
Correspondence to María Ingibjörg Gunnbjörnsdóttir, MD, PhD, Department of Allergy, Respiratory Medicine and Sleep, Landspitali University Hospital, IS 108 Reykjavík, Iceland. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Gunnbjornsdottir, M I Norbäck, D Björnsson, E Soon, A Jarvis, D Jõgi, R Gislason, D Gislason, T Janson, C |
author_facet |
Gunnbjornsdottir, M I Norbäck, D Björnsson, E Soon, A Jarvis, D Jõgi, R Gislason, D Gislason, T Janson, C |
author_sort |
Gunnbjornsdottir, M I |
title |
Indoor environment in three North European cities in relationship to atopy and respiratory symptoms |
title_short |
Indoor environment in three North European cities in relationship to atopy and respiratory symptoms |
title_full |
Indoor environment in three North European cities in relationship to atopy and respiratory symptoms |
title_fullStr |
Indoor environment in three North European cities in relationship to atopy and respiratory symptoms |
title_full_unstemmed |
Indoor environment in three North European cities in relationship to atopy and respiratory symptoms |
title_sort |
indoor environment in three north european cities in relationship to atopy and respiratory symptoms |
publisher |
Blackwell Publishing Ltd |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/2336/80038 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-699X.2008.00122.x |
geographic |
Reykjavík |
geographic_facet |
Reykjavík |
genre |
Iceland Reykjavík Reykjavík Mite |
genre_facet |
Iceland Reykjavík Reykjavík Mite |
op_relation |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-699X.2008.00122.x Clin. Respir. J. 2009, 3(2):85-94 1752-6981 1752-699X doi:10.1111/j.1752-699X.2008.00122.x http://hdl.handle.net/2336/80038 Clinical Respiratory Journal |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-699X.2008.00122.x |
container_title |
The Clinical Respiratory Journal |
container_volume |
3 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
85 |
op_container_end_page |
94 |
_version_ |
1766041916573483008 |