title: Early exposure to bio-contaminants and asthma up to 10 years of age: results of the HITEA study.
abstract: Inverse associations have been found between exposure to bio-contaminants and asthma and allergies. The aim of this study was to prospectively assess whether early exposure to bio-contaminants in dust is associated with asthma and allergy later in childhood among children from (sub)-urban areas. In subsets of three European birth cohorts (PIAMA: n=553; INMA: n=481; and LISAplus: n=395), endotoxin, (1,3,)-β-d-glucan and extracellular polysaccharide were measured in dust from living rooms shortly after birth. Current asthma at 6 years and 10 years of age and ever asthma up to 10 years of age were assessed by parental questionnaires. Specific IgE levels at 8 years (PIAMA) and 10 years (LISAplus) were available. Adjusted, cohort-specific logistic regression analyses were performed. Higher endotoxin concentrations were positively associated with current asthma at 6 years of age in PIAMA (adjusted OR 1.96, 95% CI 1.07-3.58), but were inversely related with ever asthma up to 10 years of age in INMA (adjusted OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.16-0.94). No associations with asthma were found for LISAplus. No associations were observed with atopic sensitisation in all cohorts. All associations with (1,3)-β-d-glucan and extracellular polysaccharide were statistically nonsignificant. The suggested immunological mechanisms of early exposure to bio-contaminants with regards to asthma and allergy might be different for children growing up in (sub)-urban environments.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Epidemiology I, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany christina.tischer@helmholtz-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tischer
authors.affiliation: Dept of Public Health and Primary Care - Centre for Environment and Health KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Lidia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Casas
authors.affiliation: Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Division Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Inge M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Wouters
authors.affiliation: Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Division Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Doekes
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garcia-Esteban
authors.affiliation: Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Division Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gehring
authors.affiliation: Dept Environmental Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hyvärinen
authors.affiliation: Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Division Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oldenwening
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Groningen, Dept of Epidemiology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kerkhof
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sunyer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Epidemiology I, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Standl
authors.affiliation: Institute of Epidemiology I, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany Division of Metabolic Diseases and Nutritional Medicine, Dr von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Thiering
authors.affiliation: Area de Salud de Menorca, IB-SALUT, Mahon, Spain.
authors.forename: Maties
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torrent
authors.affiliation: Institute of Epidemiology I, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heinrich
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000737:chemistry; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000276:immunology; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000737:chemistry; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011509:Proteoglycans; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D047071:beta-Glucans / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D000485:Allergens; D004391:Dust; D004731:Endotoxins; D011134:Polysaccharides; D011509:Proteoglycans; D047071:beta-Glucans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; C010770:polysaccharide-K