PMID- 11251402
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20010628
LR  - 20190822
IS  - 0105-4538 (Print)
IS  - 0105-4538 (Linking)
VI  - 56
IP  - 3
DP  - 2001 Mar
TI  - Involvement of urban living environments in atopy and enhanced eosinophil 
      activity: potential risk factors of airway allergic symptoms.
PG  - 224-30
AB  - BACKGROUND: Airway allergic diseases, such as bronchial asthma and allergic 
      rhinitis, have increased, especially in urban areas. These diseases are 
      characterized by airway inflammation with enhanced eosinophil activity, and the 
      risk of disease development has been shown to increase with the prevalence of 
      atopy. METHODS: Questionnaires were administered to 426 healthy adult women aged 
      30-74 years, living in an urban area of Osaka, Japan, to survey individual living 
      environments and airway allergic symptoms such as cough, sputum, and wheezing. 
      Moreover, serum house-dust-mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, [Der 
      p])-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) and serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) 
      were examined by radioimmunoassay, and the atopic status (atopic sensitization) 
      and enhanced eosinophil activity were assessed as Der p-specific IgE RAST scores 
      of 2-6 and ECP levels of more than 10 ng/ml, respectively. RESULTS: Intensive use 
      of electric air conditioners in hot weather (odds ratio: 2.07 [95% CI: 
      1.11-3.87]) and mold proliferation in the kitchen (2.77 [1.34-5.73]) 
      significantly increased the risk of atopic sensitization. Poor home ventilation 
      and family smoking appeared to be positively but not significantly associated 
      with atopic sensitization. Personal smoking and intensive use of the air 
      conditioner appeared to be positively related to enhanced eosinophil activity. 
      Atopic status showed significant involvement in the development of wheezing, and 
      the development of cough was significantly associated with enhanced eosinophil 
      activity. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that some urban styles of living are 
      involved in atopic sensitization and enhanced eosinophil activity in the Japanese 
      urban population, probably due to living conditions, such as indoor dampness and 
      poor home ventilation, caused by tight insulation, which increase exposure to 
      indoor air pollutants, such as respirable mite allergens and tobacco smoke.
FAU - Kuwahara, Y
AU  - Kuwahara Y
AD  - Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, 
      Japan.
FAU - Kondoh, J
AU  - Kondoh J
FAU - Tatara, K
AU  - Tatara K
FAU - Azuma, E
AU  - Azuma E
FAU - Nakajima, T
AU  - Nakajima T
FAU - Hashimoto, M
AU  - Hashimoto M
FAU - Komachi, Y
AU  - Komachi Y
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - Denmark
TA  - Allergy
JT  - Allergy
JID - 7804028
RN  - 0 (Antigens, Dermatophagoides)
RN  - 0 (Environmental Pollutants)
RN  - 0 (Glycoproteins)
RN  - 37341-29-0 (Immunoglobulin E)
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - Aged
MH  - Antigens, Dermatophagoides
MH  - Cross-Sectional Studies
MH  - Environmental Pollutants/*adverse effects
MH  - Eosinophils/*physiology
MH  - Female
MH  - Glycoproteins/blood
MH  - Humans
MH  - Hypersensitivity/etiology
MH  - Hypersensitivity, Immediate/*etiology
MH  - Immunoglobulin E/blood
MH  - Japan/epidemiology
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Respiratory Hypersensitivity/epidemiology
MH  - Risk Factors
MH  - *Urban Health
EDAT- 2001/03/17 10:00
MHDA- 2001/06/29 10:01
CRDT- 2001/03/17 10:00
PHST- 2001/03/17 10:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2001/06/29 10:01 [medline]
PHST- 2001/03/17 10:00 [entrez]
AID - all670 [pii]
AID - 10.1034/j.1398-9995.2001.056003224.x [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Allergy. 2001 Mar;56(3):224-30. doi: 10.1034/j.1398-9995.2001.056003224.x.