Indoor visible mold and mold odor are associated with new-onset childhood wheeze in a dose-dependent manner
Open accessAbstract
Evidence is accumulating that indoor dampness and mold are associated with the development of asthma. The underlying mechanisms remain unknown. New Zealand has high rates of both asthma and indoor mold and is ideally placed to investigate this. We conducted an incident case-control study involving 150 children with new-onset wheeze, aged between 1 and 7 years, each matched to two control children with no history of wheezing. Each participant's home was assessed for moisture damage, condensation, and mold growth by researchers, an independent building assessor and parents. Repeated measures of temperature and humidity were made, and electrostatic dust cloths were used to collect airborne microbes. Cloths were analyzed using qPCR. Children were skin prick tested for aeroallergens to establish atopy. Strong positive associations were found between observations of visible mold and new-onset wheezing in children (adjusted odds ratios ranged between 1.30 and 3.56; P ≤ .05). Visible mold and mold odor were consistently associated with new-onset wheezing in a dose-dependent manner. Measurements of qPCR microbial levels, temperature, and humidity were not associated with new-onset wheezing. The association between mold and new-onset wheeze was not modified by atopic status, suggesting a non-allergic association.
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In the HOME study, there were strong positive associations between observations of visible mold and new-onset wheezing in children in a dose-dependent manner, and the association was not modified by the children's atopic status, suggesting a nonallergic association.
“Study investigators found strong positive associations between observations of visible mold and new-onset wheezing in children in a dose-dependent manner. The association between mold and new-onset wheeze was not modified by the children's atopic status, suggesting a nonallergic association (154).”
From Review of the Impact of Housing Quality on Inequalities in Health and Well-Being (2023) · cites this paper as [154]
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Shorter, C., Crane, J., Pierse, N., Barnes, P., Kang, J., Wickens, K., Douwes, J., Stanley, T., Täubel, M., Hyvärinen, A., Howden-Chapman, P., & the Wellington Region General Practitioner Research Network
- Affiliations
- University of Otago (NZ)
- Massey University (NZ)
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (FI)
- He Kainga Oranga/Housing and Health Research Group; Department of Public Health; University of Otago; Wellington New Zealand
- Corresponding author
- Shorter, Caroline
- ORCID
- Venue
- Indoor Air
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2017-09-11
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 6-15
- ISSN
- 0905-6947 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2744413562
- Cited by
- 72
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 4.42
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Indoor Air (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- STM:n Hallinnonalan avoin julkaisuarkisto (Julkari) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC 09/071B)
- Academy of Finland (296587)
- Asthma and Respiratory Foundation of New Zealand
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Asthma and respiratory diseases
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Occupational exposure and asthma
- Keywords
- indoor mold, childhood wheezing, indoor dampness, asthma, dose-response relationship, atopy, family environment, moisture damage, condensation, airborne microorganisms
- MeSH terms
- Air Microbiology, Child, Child, Preschool, Female, Fungi, Housing, Humans, Infant, Male, Parents, Respiratory Sounds, Case-Control Studies
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