title: Prevalence and incidence of respiratory symptoms in relation to indoor dampness: the RHINE study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An association between indoor dampness and respiratory symptoms has been reported, but dampness as a risk factor for the onset or remission of respiratory symptoms and asthma is not well documented.
  
  
  METHODS
  This follow up study included 16 190 subjects from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Estonia who had participated in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS I). Eight years later the same subjects answered a postal questionnaire that included questions on respiratory symptoms and indicators of indoor dampness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects living in damp housing (18%) had a significantly (p<0.001) higher prevalence of wheeze (19.1% v 26.0%), nocturnal breathlessness (4.4% v 8.4%), nocturnal cough (27.2% v 36.5%), productive cough (16.6% v 22.3%) and asthma (6.0% v 7.7%). These associations remained significant after adjusting for possible confounders. Indoor dampness was a risk factor for onset of respiratory symptoms but not for asthma onset in the longitudinal analysis (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.40). Remission of nocturnal symptoms was less common in damp homes (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.97).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subjects living in damp housing had a higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms and asthma. Onset of respiratory symptoms was more common and remission of nocturnal respiratory symptoms was less common in subjects living in damp housing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. maria.gunnbjornsdottir@medsci.uu.se
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Gunnbjörnsdóttir
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Norbäck
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Björnsson
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gislason
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lindberg
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Svanes
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Omenaas
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Norrman
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jõgi
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dahlman-Höglund
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Janson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors