Biomedical subjects

T Dwyer

Publications and source records attributed to T Dwyer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Higher maternal dietary protein intake in late pregnancy is associated with a lower infant ponderal index at birth.

AIM: A high ponderal index at birth has been associated with later obesity and it has been suggested that intervention to prevent obesity and its sequela should consider the antenatal period. In this context, we investigated the association between maternal nutrition and birth anthropometry. DESIGN: We analyzed data on 1040 mother-infant pairs collected during the Tasmanian Infant Health Survey (TIHS), Tasmania, 1988-1989. Maternal dietary intake during pregnancy was measured by food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) applied soon after birth. Outcomes of interest were birth weight, birth length, head circumference, ponderal index, head circumference -to-ponderal index ratio, placenta-to-birth weight ratio and head circumference-to-birth length index. RESULTS: In multiple regression model, an increase of 10 g of absolute protein intake/day was associated with a reduction in birth weight of 17.8 g (95% CI: -32.7, -3.0; P=0.02). Protein intake was also associated negatively with ponderal index (beta=-0.01; 95% CI: -0.02, -0.00; P=0.01). A 1 % increase in carbohydrate intake resulted in a 1% decline in placental weight relative to birth weight. Higher protein intake in the third trimester was associated with a reduced ponderal index among large birth weight infants but not low birth weight infants. CONCLUSIONS: This raises the possibility that any effect of high protein in altering infant anthropometry at birth may involve changes in body composition and future work to examine how a high-protein diet influences body composition at birth is warranted.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

The inverse relationship between number of steps per day and obesity in a population-based sample: the AusDiab study.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) is inversely associated with obesity but the effect has been difficult to quantify using questionnaires. In particular, the shape of the association has not yet been well described. Pedometers provide an opportunity to better characterize the association. METHODS: Residents of households over the age of 25 years in randomly selected census districts in Tasmania were eligible to participate in the AusDiab cross-sectional survey conducted in 1999-2000. 1848 completed the AusDiab survey and 1126 of these (609 women and 517 men) wore a pedometer for 2-weekdays. Questionnaire data on recent PA, TV time and other factors were obtained. The outcomes were waist circumference (in cm) and body mass index (BMI) (kg/m(2)). RESULTS: Increasing daily steps were associated with a decline in the obesity measures. The logarithmic nature of the associations was indicated by a sharper decline for those with lower daily steps. For example, an additional 2000 steps for those taking only 2000 steps per day was associated with a reduction of 2.8 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.1,4.4) cm in waist circumference among men (for women; 2.2 (95% CI: 0.6, 3.9 cm)) with a baseline of only 2000, steps compared to a 0.7 (95% CI 0.3, 1.1) cm reduction (for women; 0.6 (95% CI: 0.2, 1.0)) for those already walking 10,000 steps daily. In the multivariable analysis, clearer associations were detected for PA and these obesity measures using daily step number rather than PA time by questionnaire. INTERPRETATION: Pedometer measures of activity indicate that the inverse association between recent PA and obesity is logarithmic in form with the greatest impact for a given arithmetic step number increase seen at lower levels of baseline activity. The findings from this study need to be examined in prospective settings.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry body composition and aging in a population-based older cohort.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this cross-sectional study were (1) to examine the effect of age on body composition in older adults using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and (2) to evaluate the agreement of DXA with standard indirect anthropometric measures (body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)). RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A population-based sample of 731 adults aged between 50 and 79 years underwent measurement of BMI, waist circumference, WHR, DXA total body fat mass, DXA % total body fat, DXA % trunk fat and DXA lean body mass. Linear regression was used to test for trend in measures of body composition between age categories in men and women. Partial correlations and Bland-Altman analysis were used to examine the agreement of DXA measures with indirect measures. RESULTS: DXA lean body mass decreased significantly with increasing age in both sexes (P<0.05). In males, BMI (P=0.01) and body weight (P<0.01) decreased with age, and in females, WHR (P=0.05), DXA % total fat (P=0.02) and DXA % trunk fat (P=0.05) increased with age. There was good agreement between DXA measures of fatness and indirect anthropometric measures, except for WHR, which showed greater variability in its comparisons with DXA. CONCLUSION: Using the highly sensitive and direct DXA method of measuring body composition, a decline in lean body mass and an increase in adiposity was observed with aging. Except for WHR, indirect anthropometric measures generally showed high levels of agreement with DXA fat measures in this older cohort.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

PubMed2006

Asthma onset prior to multiple sclerosis and the contribution of sibling exposure in early life.

Higher sibling exposure is associated with a reduced risk of asthma and other T helper 2 (Th2)-type disorders, possibly through a beneficial effect of higher infection load. The effect on Th1 disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS) is less clear. Here we examine the association between asthma and MS, taking into account early life sibling exposure. A population-based case-control study in Tasmania, Australia based on 136 cases of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-confirmed MS and 272 community controls, matched on sex and year of birth. Study measures include cumulative exposure to total, older or younger siblings by age 6 years, history of doctor-diagnosed asthma and serological IgG responses to herpes viruses. MS cases were more likely (P = 0.02) than controls to have asthma which began before age of onset of MS symptoms compared to the corresponding age for controls. The absence of younger sibling exposure by age 6 years potentiated (P = 0.04) the association between asthma and MS. Compared to those with younger sibling exposure and no asthma, the adjusted odds ratio for MS for those with asthma and no younger sibling exposure was 7.22 (95% CI: 2.52, 20.65). Early life sibling exposure was associated with altered IgG serological responses to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) in adulthood. Reduced early life sibling exposure appeared to contribute to the excess of asthma among MS cases by the time of MS onset. MS development may reflect factors that relate to a general immuno-inflammatory up-regulation of immune activity as well as disease specific factors. The link between early life sibling exposure and the immune response to herpes group viral antigens is consistent with a protective role for early life infections.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Validity and reliability of adult recall of past sun exposure in a case-control study of multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Measurement of past sun exposure through recall by adults has the potential for measurement error. We aimed to investigate aspects of validity and reliability of self-reported past sun exposure. METHODS: A population-based case-control study was conducted in Tasmania on 136 cases with multiple sclerosis and 272 age- and sex-matched community controls. Repeat interviews on 52 cases and 52 controls were done on average 11 weeks after the initial interview. Sun exposure was assessed by questionnaire and lifetime calendar. Other measurements included serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, actinic damage, and skin phenotype. RESULTS: There was an association between recent sun exposure and serum vitamin D (time in the sun: r = 0.22, P < 0.01; activities outside: r = 0.31, P < 0.01 for controls) and between lifetime sun exposure and actinic damage [correlation between 0.34 (P < 0.01) and 0.17 (P = 0.01) for controls]. The test-retest weighted kappa statistic of self-reported sun exposure ranged from 0.43 to 0.74. Recall of childhood/adolescent sun exposure by standardized questioning was no less reproducible than recall of recent adult sun exposure and no less reliable when made with the calendar method. Comparing the questionnaire and calendar method, the measures of childhood/adolescent sun exposure had a similar predictive validity for multiple sclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provide further evidence that adults are able to recall past sun exposure with shown validity and reliability and present information about the possible reasons for the good reliability of recalled sun exposure measures.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Associations of TV viewing and physical activity with the metabolic syndrome in Australian adults.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: We analysed a sample of Australian adults to determine the strength of associations of TV viewing and participation in physical activity with the metabolic syndrome. METHODS: This population-based cross-sectional study included 6,241 adults aged > or =35 years who were free from diagnosed diabetes mellitus and self-reported ischaemic disease and were not taking lipid-lowering or antihypertensive drugs. The metabolic syndrome was defined according to the 1999 World Health Organization criteria. Participants self-reported TV viewing time and physical activity time for the previous week. RESULTS: The adjusted odds ratio of having the metabolic syndrome was 2.07 (95% CI 1.49-2.88) in women and 1.48 (95% CI 0.95-2.31) in men who watched TV for >14 h per week compared with those who watched < or =7.0 h per week. Compared with those who were less active (<2.5 h per week), the odds ratio for the metabolic syndrome was 0.72 (95% CI 0.58-0.90) in men and 0.53 (95% CI 0.38-0.74) in women who were active (> or =2.5 h per week). Longer TV viewing (>14 h per week) was associated with an increased risk of insulin resistance, obesity and dyslipidaemia in both men and women. A total physical activity time of > or =2.5 h per week was associated with a reduced prevalence of both insulin resistance and dyslipidaemia in both sexes and reduced prevalence of both obesity and hypertension in women. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Increased TV viewing time was associated with an increased prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, while physical activity was associated with a reduced prevalence. Population strategies addressing the metabolic syndrome should focus on reducing sedentary behaviours such as TV viewing, as well as increasing physical activity.

Australia↗

PubMed2005

A differing pattern of association between dietary fish and allergen-specific subgroups of atopy.

BACKGROUND: We examined the role of fish intake in the development of atopic disease with particular reference to the possibility of differential effects on allergen-specific subgroups of sensitization. METHODS: The exposure of interest was parental report of fish intake by children aged 8 years at the 1997 Childhood Allergy and Respiratory Health Study (n = 499). The outcomes of interest were subgroups of atopy: house dust mite (HDM)-pure sensitization [a positive skin-prick test (SPT) > or = 2 mm to Der p or Der f only], ryegrass-pure sensitization (a positive SPT > or = 2 mm to ryegrass only); asthma and hay fever by allergen-specific sensitization. RESULTS: A significant association between fish intake and ryegrass-pure [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.37 (0.15-0.90)] but not HDM-pure sensitization [AOR 0.87 (0.36-2.13)] was found. Fish consumption significantly decreased the risk for ryegrass-pure sensitization in comparison with HDM-pure sensitization [AOR 0.20 (0.05-0.79)]. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated a differential effect of fish intake for sensitization to different aeroallergens. This may be due to the different timing of allergen exposure during early life. Further investigation of the causes of atopic disease should take into account allergen-specific subgroups.

Allergens↗

PubMed2005

Exhaled breath condensate: methodological recommendations and unresolved questions.

Collection of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a noninvasive method for obtaining samples from the lungs. EBC contains large number of mediators including adenosine, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, isoprostanes, leukotrienes, nitrogen oxides, peptides and cytokines. Concentrations of these mediators are influenced by lung diseases and modulated by therapeutic interventions. Similarly EBC pH also changes in respiratory diseases. The aim of the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society Task Force on EBC was to identify the important methodological issues surrounding EBC collection and assay, to provide recommendations for the measurements and to highlight areas where further research is required. Based on the currently available evidence and the consensus of the expert panel for EBC collection, the following general recommendations were put together for oral sample collection: collect during tidal breathing using a noseclip and a saliva trap; define cooling temperature and collection time (10 min is generally sufficient to obtain 1-2 mL of sample and well tolerated by patients); use inert material for condenser; do not use resistor and do not use filter between the subject and the condenser. These are only general recommendations and certain circumstances may dictate variation from them. Important areas for future research involve: ascertaining mechanisms and site of exhaled breath condensate particle formation; determination of dilution markers; improving reproducibility; employment of EBC in longitudinal studies; and determining the utility of exhaled breath condensate measures for the management of individual patients. These studies are required before recommending this technique for use in clinical practice.

Biomarkers↗

PubMed2004

A prospective association between cocoon use in infancy and childhood asthma.

There is increasing evidence for a role for bedding items in the development of asthma. The use of some forms of synthetic bedding, such as foam mattresses and pillows, is associated with a significantly increased risk of childhood wheeze. Our aim was to examine prospectively whether the use of synthetic cocoon/baby nests in infancy is associated with the subsequent development of wheeze in childhood. Data collected in 1988 as part of the Tasmanian Infant Health Survey were linked to the cross-sectional Childhood Asthma Survey conducted in 1995 in Tasmania, Australia. We were able to match 863 records out of the 1111 in the 1988 survey. Information including parental, child-care, and the infant's sleeping environment was collected at home interview in 1988 when the infant was 1 month of age. Data including sleep environment and asthma symptoms were available for each child at age 7 years. A generalised linear model was used to calculate the adjusted relative risk (RR) estimates for symptoms of wheeze and infant cocoon use. For children who were placed in a cocoon in infancy, there was an increased risk of recent wheeze (adjusted RR = 4.33 [95% CI 2.08, 9.02]) and night wheeze (adjusted RR = 3.35 [95% CI 1.52, 7.39]) at age 7 years. In view of the increasing prevalence of childhood asthma, the identification of potentially modifiable environmental factors which might operate in infancy is of importance. The present findings implicate infant bedding choice as a significant factor and further studies on the infant sleeping environment are indicated.

Asthma↗

PubMed2004

Trends in diabetes management practices of patients from an Australian insulin-treated diabetes register.

AIMS: To compare diabetes management practices in 2001 among individuals from Tasmania, Australia, with a previous management survey conducted in 1995-7. METHODS: Subjects were ascertained through the Tasmanian Insulin-Treated Diabetes Register. General demographic data were collected by telephone interview, and participants mailed a questionnaire on their diabetes management practices. RESULTS: The response rate in 2001 was 80.8% (n=1336). There was a trend to more frequent blood glucose self-monitoring, notably in those less than 25 years (P<0.001 for monitoring >2 times/day), together with continued uptake of the pen system of insulin administration. More intensive shared management by general practitioner and diabetes specialist was noted, including a greater proportion visiting their doctor more than five times per year (P=0.006 for those <50 years). Most patients continue to be appropriately screened for hypertension and retinopathy. Dietitian visits declined overall (P=0.03 for at least annual visits), and there appeared to be an inadequate level of foot examination by patients and doctors. CONCLUSIONS: The survey indicated that most patients were taking greater responsibility for their metabolic control, and intensive management practices and more convenient methods of administration may be contributors. Two areas of possible concern are access to dietitian services, and patient and health provider education on appropriate foot care.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Measuring environmental factors can enhance the search for disease causing genes?

The value of the concurrent measurement of environmental factors in studies aimed at the discovery of disease causing genes has been questioned on the grounds that such an approach fails to increase study power. This report discusses the issue and shows with examples from the recent literature that the examination of a gene disease association within an environmental subgroup can provide enhanced opportunities for detecting gene effects. The concurrent collection of environmental as well as genetic factors in studies of disease aetiology may enhance study informativeness and validity in several ways, including an increase in the power of the study to detect gene disease associations.

Birth Weight↗

PubMed2003

Past exposure to sun, skin phenotype, and risk of multiple sclerosis: case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether past high sun exposure is associated with a reduced risk of multiple sclerosis. DESIGN: Population based case-control study. SETTING: Tasmania, latitudes 41-3 degrees S. PARTICIPANTS: 136 cases with multiple sclerosis and 272 controls randomly drawn from the community and matched on sex and year of birth. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Multiple sclerosis defined by both clinical and magnetic resonance imaging criteria. RESULTS: Higher sun exposure when aged 6-15 years (average 2-3 hours or more a day in summer during weekends and holidays) was associated with a decreased risk of multiple sclerosis (adjusted odds ratio 0.31, 95% confidence interval 0.16 to 0.59). Higher exposure in winter seemed more important than higher exposure in summer. Greater actinic damage was also independently associated with a decreased risk of multiple sclerosis (0.32, 0.11 to 0.88 for grades 4-6 disease). A dose-response relation was observed between multiple sclerosis and decreasing sun exposure when aged 6-15 years and with actinic damage. CONCLUSION: Higher sun exposure during childhood and early adolescence is associated with a reduced risk of multiple sclerosis. Insufficient ultraviolet radiation may therefore influence the development of multiple sclerosis.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

A randomized controlled trial of phytoestrogen supplementation, growth and bone turnover in adolescent males.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of phytoestrogens on bone turnover and growth in adolescent boys. DESIGN: Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: Single school in northwest Tasmania. PARTICIPANTS: Adolescent boys (treatment n=69, placebo n=59, mean age 16.8 y). INTERVENTIONS: Six weeks of isoflavone supplementation (Novasoy, 50 mg daily of isoflavone equivalents). Bone turnover markers (bone specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and pyridinoline creatinine ratio (PYR)) were measured at baseline and follow-up. RESULTS: Despite marked increases in urinary genistein and daidzein in the treatment arm (both P<0.001), there were no significant differences in BAP, PYR or short-term height or weight change. This applied to both intention-to-treat and per protocol analysis. Neither was there a significant correlation between urinary genistein and daidzein levels and BAP or PYR. CONCLUSIONS: Phytoestrogen supplementation to the level of usual Japanese dietary intake has no measurable effect on bone turnover in adolescent boys. Longer-term studies of bone density may be desirable but it is unlikely that there will be a large effect in either girls or boys given the lower endogenous oestrogen levels in boys.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

An association between plastic mattress covers and sheepskin underbedding use in infancy and house dust mite sensitization in childhood: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Higher house dust mite (HDM) allergen exposure during infancy has been associated with increased HDM sensitization. Infant bedding has been associated with the accumulation of varying levels of HDM. Prospective data on the relationship between infant bedding and the development of HDM sensitization has not been previously examined. OBJECTIVES: To determine if particular types of bedding used in infancy are associated with increased risk of house dust mite sensitization in childhood. METHODS: A population-based sample (n = 498) of children born in 1988 or 1989, and who were resident in Northern Tasmania in 1997, participated in this study. These children were part of a birth cohort study (1988-95), the Tasmanian Infant Health Survey. Data on infant underbedding and mattresses was available on 460 and 457 children, respectively. The main outcome measure was HDM sensitization defined as a skin prick test (SPT) reaction of 3 mm or more to the allergens of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and/or Dermatophagoides farinae. RESULTS: The use of either sheepskin underbedding or plastic mattress covers in infancy was associated with an increased risk of sensitization to HDM allergens at age 8 years. The adjusted risk ratio (RR) for sensitization to HDM with sheepskin in infancy was 2.27 (95% CI: 1.14, 4.55), P = 0.020. The adjusted RR for sensitization to HDM with the use of plastic mattress covers in infancy was 2.06 (95% CI: 1.22, 3.51), P = 0.007. The use of a foam mattress in infancy was not related to subsequent HDM sensitization. CONCLUSION: Infant's bedding plays a role in the development of HDM sensitization in childhood. Intervention studies to examine mite allergen levels and the role of underbedding on the development of HDM sensitization are required.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Syndrome X in 8-y-old Australian children: stronger associations with current body fatness than with infant size or growth.

OBJECTIVE: Syndrome X (clustering of insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia and hypertension) in adults with central obesity has been suggested to be a consequence of poor foetal development. We investigated clustering of syndrome X factors in a sample of 8-y-old Australian children, and whether the clusters were associated with size at birth and childhood obesity. DESIGN: Longitudinal, 1997 follow-up of children enrolled as singleton-born neonates in 1989. SUBJECTS: A total of 298 healthy Australian children (208 boys, 90 girls, age range 7.4-8.9 y). MEASUREMENTS: Anthropometry at birth and at 4 weeks. In 1997, at 8 y of age: fasting insulin and glucose, total and HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure. RESULTS: Adverse levels of insulin and glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides co-existed more often than expected by chance (P<0.01). Three factors were identified in factor analysis: one loading on systolic and diastolic blood pressure ('blood pressure'); a second loading on insulin and glucose ('insulin resistance'); and a third loading negatively on HDL-cholesterol and positively on triglycerides ('dyslipidaemia'). The blood pressure factor was correlated with fatness at age 8 y (eg fat mass estimated from skin folds, r=0.11) and, after adjustment for current size, with birth weight (r=-0.15). Fat mass was also correlated with both 'insulin resistance' (r=0.24) and 'dyslipidaemia' (r=0.19). The increase in 'insulin resistance' (P=0.03) and 'dyslipidaemia' (P<0.01) per category of fat mass was greatest for subjects with higher-than-median subscapular-to-triceps ratio of skin folds. Neither 'insulin resistance' nor 'dyslipidaemia' was associated with anthropometry at birth. CONCLUSIONS: The Syndrome X risk variables clustered among children who had a tendency to deposit fat on the trunk. There was no evidence in this sample that infant size predicts development of the insulin resistance or dyslipidaemic components of the syndrome by age 8.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed2001

Declining lung cancer mortality of young Australian women despite increased smoking is linked to reduced cigarette 'tar' yields.

Lung cancer data were examined to determine whether the mortality rates of young Australian women have continued to increase in line with the proportions of them who have smoked tobacco. Trends in annual age-specific lung cancer mortality were estimated for 1965-1998. Age-specific mortality rates and age-adjusted ratios of mortality rates were calculated for birth cohorts. Proportions of smokers in those cohorts were estimated from results of eight national surveys of smoking, and their mean ages of commencement and years of smoking were assessed from surveys of smokers in two states. Lung cancer mortality rates of 20-44-year-old Australian women peaked in 1986. Age-adjusted mortality rates are lower for women born in the 1950s and 1960s than for women born in the 1940s, despite higher proportions of smokers, younger age of commencement and longer duration of smoking by age 30 years in the more recent cohorts. Increased smoking has not resulted in higher lung cancer mortality for Australian women born in the 1950s and 1960s. Reductions in tar yields of Australian-made cigarettes, which would have affected primarily those born after the 1940s, may be responsible.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Sources of heterogeneity in the meta-analysis of observational studies: the example of SIDS and sleeping position.

The study objective was to provide an example of how risk estimates might vary across studies of observational design, even when a causal association is present and to explore the possible sources of such variation. A meta-analysis of studies on the association between prone sleeping position and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is used to illustrate how risk estimates might vary across studies. Data used were reported case-control studies of the association between sleeping position and SIDS that were published between 1970 and 1994. If the pooled odds ratio had been relied on to assess the association between sleeping position and SIDS without an accompanying examination of the reasons for heterogeneity, important insights into the causal significance of the relationship may have been lost. In meta-analyses of observational studies it is important to investigate the reasons for heterogeneity across studies.

Bias↗

PubMed2001

A prospective study of the association between home gas appliance use during infancy and subsequent dust mite sensitization and lung function in childhood.

BACKGROUND: Home gas appliance use has been associated with child respiratory illness but prospective data on the relationship between infant exposure and the development of child allergic disease has not been readily available. OBJECTIVES: (a) To determine if home gas appliance use is associated with increased risk of house dust mite (HDM) sensitization. (b) To examine whether any association between current home gas use and airway obstruction is influenced by HDM sensitization. METHODS DESIGN: an 8-year follow-up birth cohort study of children born during 1988 and 1989. PARTICIPANTS: a population-based sample (n = 498) of children who participated in the Tasmanian Infant Health Survey (TIHS) and resided in Northern Tasmania in 1997 (84% of eligible children). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: (a) Skin prick test reaction to nine allergens, including Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p 1) and Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f 1). (b) Spirometric lung function indices, including forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)) and forced vital capacity (FVC). RESULTS: The relative risk for home gas appliance use at 1 month of age and HDM sensitization was 1.98 (1.04, 3.79) in a cohort analysis with confounder matching. Current home gas use was also associated with HDM sensitization (ARR 1.73 (1.43, 2.76)). Current home gas use was related to a stronger (P = 0.006) reduction in the FEV(1) : FVC ratio among HDM-sensitive children (adjusted difference - 6.2% (- 10.0 to - 2.4)) than non-HDM-sensitive children (adjusted difference - 0.3% (- 2.5 to 1.8)). CONCLUSION: Indoor pollutants from gas combustion may increase the likelihood of initial sensitization to HDM and play a role in the development of atopic asthma. HDM-sensitized children may be more vulnerable to indoor pollutant-induced airway obstruction. The ability of this study to detect such effects may partly reflect unflued gas appliance use among this sample.

Age Factors↗