title: The effect of mold sensitization and humidity upon allergic asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Humidity is commonly associated with increased airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine mold sensitization in patients with allergic asthma or allergic rhinitis and self-reports of humidity as exacerbating factors of clinical symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective, cross-sectional study at a University hospital outpatient allergy and asthma clinic was performed. A total of 106 patients with either allergic asthma or allergic rhinitis completed standard prick-puncture skin testing with 17 allergens and controls and completed standardized forms addressing trigger factors for clinical symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Allergic asthmatics sensitized to Cladosporium were more likely to have a more severe asthma severity class (odds ratio = 4.26, confidence interval = 1.30-16.93). Sensitization to Alternaria, Cladosporium, Helminthosporium, Aspergillus and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus in asthma was associated with higher likelihood for previous hospitalization, while sensitization to Cladosporium, Helminthosporium, Aspergillus, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and cockroach in asthma was associated with higher likelihood of having reduced pulmonary function based on forced expiratory volume in 1s. Furthermore, allergic asthmatics more commonly reported humidity as an exacerbating factor of symptoms than did patients only with allergic rhinitis (68.42% vs 42.86%, respectively; P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mold sensitization is highly associated with more severe asthma, while humidity is more of an exacerbating factor in patients with allergic asthma as compared with allergic rhinitis alone. Further delineation between mold sensitization and humidity is needed to determine whether these are independent factors in asthma.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA. hayes.705@osu.edu
authors.forename: Don
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: Manan A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Jhaveri
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Mannino
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Strawbridge
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Temprano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D005658:Fungi / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D012882:Skin Tests
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens