title: House dust endotoxin and wheeze in the first year of life.
abstract: We examined endotoxin exposure and wheezing episodes during the first year of life in a birth cohort of 499 infants with one or both parents having a history of asthma or allergy. We measured endotoxin in settled dust from the baby's bed, bedroom floor, family room, and kitchen floor within the first 3 mo after birth. The primary outcomes were any wheeze (versus no wheeze), and repeated wheeze (versus one or no report of wheeze). We found a significant univariate association of elevated endotoxin (> or = 100 EU/ mg) in family room dust with increased risk of any wheeze (Relative Risk = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.03-1.62). The association was not confounded by cockroach allergen, lower respiratory illness (croup, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia), smoking during pregnancy, lower birth weight, maternal asthma, presence of dog, and race/ethnicity in a multivariate model; the multivariate relative risk (RR = 1.33) was marginally significant (95% CI: 1.00-1.76, p < 0.05). In a multivariate model, controlling for the above covariates, elevated endotoxin in family room dust was significantly associated with increased risk (RR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.03-2.38) of repeated wheeze. These results suggest that home endotoxin exposure may independently increase risk of any wheeze and repeated wheeze during the first year of life for children with a familial predisposition to asthma or allergy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Spiegelman
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Burge
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Milton
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects; D001249:Asthma / Q000235:genetics; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004391:Dust / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D004391:Dust; D004731:Endotoxins