Effect of Urbanisation on Asthma, Allergy and Airways Inflammation in a Developing Country Setting

Details

• Personal Author:
  Barnes KC ; Baumann LM ; Breysse PN ; Cabrera L ; Checkley W ; Combe JM ; Gilman RH ; Gomez A ; Gonzalvez G ; Hansel NN ; Robinson CL ; Romero K ; Wise RA
• Description:
  Background: Asthma is a growing public health problem in developing countries. However, few studies have studied the role of urbanisation in this phenomenon. It was hypothesised that children living in a peri-urban setting in Peru have higher rates of asthma and allergy than rural counterparts. Methods: 1441 adolescents aged 13-15 years were enrolled from two settings: a peri-urban shanty town in Lima (n=725) and 23 rural villages in Tumbes (n=716). Participants filled in questionnaires on asthma and allergy symptoms, environmental exposures and sociodemographics, and underwent spirometry, and exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) and allergy skin testing. Indoor particulate matter (PM) concentrations were measured in 170 households. Results: Lima adolescents had higher rates of lifetime wheezing (22% vs 10%), current asthma symptoms (12% vs 3%) and physician-diagnosed asthma (13% vs 2%; all p <0.001). Current rhinitis (23% vs 12%), eczema (12% vs 0.4%), atopy (56% vs 38%), personal history of cigarette smoking (7.4% vs 1.3%) and mean indoor PM (31 vs 13 microg/m3) were also higher in Lima (all p <0.001). The peri-urban environment of Lima was associated with a 2.6-fold greater odds (95% CI 1.3 to 5.3) of asthma in multivariable regression. Forced expiratory volumes were higher and FEV1/FVC (forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity) ratios were lower in Lima (all p <0.001). Higher eNO values in Lima (p <0.001) were attributable to higher rates of asthma and atopy. Conclusions: Peri-urban adolescents had more asthma, atopy and airways inflammation and were exposed to more indoor pollution. The findings provide evidence of the risks posed to lung health by peri-urban environments in developing countries. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollution Air Pollution, Indoor Asthma Asthma, Occupational Environmental Exposure Hypersensitivity Lung Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety

  More +
• Keywords:
  Air Pollution Allergies Children Environmental Exposure Indoor Air Pollution Lung Function Particulates Respiratory Diseases
• ISSN:
  0040-6376
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  66
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062696
• Citation:
  Thorax 2011 Dec; 66(12):1051-1057
• Contact Point Address:
  William Checkley, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Johns Hopkins University, 1830 Monument Street, Fifth Floor, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
• Email:
  wcheckl1@jhmi.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  Johns Hopkins University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Thorax
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:87b266da478fbc3087a4086c3a7c2d616b0b188ae303e8b4c39a408a1058931b464b2830ceb68a448063941a659d5206abcda6f587f32335ed4bd57c88e77711
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225892/cdc_225892_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 376.37 KB ]