Impact of the home indoor environment on adult asthma and rhinitis.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to study the combined effects of multiple home indoor environmental exposures in adult asthma and rhinitis.


METHODS
We studied 226 adults with asthma and rhinitis by structured interviews and home assessments. Environmental factors included dust allergen, endotoxin and glucan concentrations, and indoor air quality (IAQ) variables. Outcomes included forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) percent predicted, Severity of Asthma Score (SAS), Short-Form (SF)-12 Physical Component Scale (PCS), and asthma Quality of Life (QOL) score.


RESULTS
House dust-associated exposures together with limited IAQ variables were related to FEV1 % predicted (R = 0.24; P = 0.0001) and SAS (R = 0.18; P = 0.007). IAQ and limited dust variables were associated with SF-12 PCS (R = 0.15; P = 0.02), but not QOL (R = 0.13; P = 0.16).


CONCLUSIONS
The home environment is strongly linked to lung function, health status, and disease severity in adult asthma and rhinitis.
Blanc
Paul D
PD
Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA. blancp@itsa.ucsf.edu
Eisner
Mark D
MD
Katz
Patricia P
PP
Yen
Irene H
IH
Archea
Connie
C
Earnest
Gillian
G
Janson
Susan
S
Masharani
Umesh B
UB
Quinlan
Patricia J
PJ
Hammond
S Katharine
SK
Thorne
Peter S
PS
Balmes
John R
JR
Trupin
Laura
L
Yelin
Edward H
EH
D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D000485:Allergens / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology*; D002140:California; D002415:Cats; D004285:Dogs; D004391:Dust; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000209:etiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D000485:Allergens; D004391:Dust