title: [Exposure to pollutants and allergens in the asthmatic child compared with the healthy child].
abstract: To assess the frequency of exposure to allergens and indoor pollutants of school age asthmatic children at the time of their first visit to the specialist, we studied 14 cases with the diagnosis of asthma according to international criteria, and 21 healthy controls. The parents of the children filed a questionnaire asking about socio-economic level, family history of asthma, exposure to allergens or indoor pollutants, and clinical severity of the disease. Questionnaires with less than 80% of the responses were excluded from analysis. Asthmatic patients had higher frequency of exposure to tobacco smoke (42.8% vs 38%), moisture in the home walls (42.9% vs 19%), and to dust reservoirs (71.4% vs 52.4%). A high proportion of the asthmatic patients did not apply adequate environmental control measures. Education for the patients and their primary care physicians must be increased, to reduce the morbidity of the diseases.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de inmunología clínica y alergia, Hospital de Especialidades. Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Sarrazola Sanjuan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salas Ramírez
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Segura Méndez
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Medrano
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martínez Cairo Cueto
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D004391:Dust; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D008297:Male; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D004391:Dust; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution