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Personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide and risk of airflow obstruction in asthmatic children with upper respiratory infection

Personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide and risk of airflow obstruction in asthmatic children with upper respiratory infection
Personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide and risk of airflow obstruction in asthmatic children with upper respiratory infection
Background: Several studies have linked air pollution by nitrogen dioxide (NO2) with increased hospital admissions for asthma in children. Exacerbations of asthma in children are often precipitated by upper respiratory infections. It is therefore possible that NO2 increases the risk of airways obstruction when asthmatic children develop upper respiratory infections.
Methods: To test this hypothesis a sample of 114 asthmatic children aged 7-12 years were followed for a total of up to 13 months. Probable upper respiratory infections were identified by consensus review of daily symptom diaries, and episodes of airways obstruction from serial records of peak expiratory flow (PEF). Personal exposures to NO2 were measured with Palmes tubes that were changed weekly. Generalised estimating equations were used to assess the relative risk (RR) of an asthmatic exacerbation starting within seven days of an upper respiratory infection according to estimated NO2 exposure during the one week period from two days before to four days after the onset of the infection.
Results: The children were followed for an average of 34 weeks during which 318 upper respiratory infections and 224 episodes of reduced PEF were diagnosed. PEF episodes were much more likely to occur in the seven days following the onset of an upper respiratory infection than at other times. Estimated exposures to NO2 at the time of infections were generally low (geometric mean 10.6 µg/m3). Compared with exposures of =<8 µg/m3, exposures of >28 µg/m3 were associated with a RR of 1.9 (95% confidence interval 1.1 to 3.4) for the development of an asthmatic episode within seven days of an infection.
Conclusions: The findings give some support to the hypothesis that NO2 increases the risk of asthmatic exacerbations following respiratory infections, even at relatively low levels of exposure. Further studies in populations with higher exposures would be useful.
asthma, children, nitrogen dioxide, respiratory infections
0040-6376
930-933
Linaker, C.H.
6c6d1b90-ee40-4c96-8b2e-b06efbe030ae
Coggon, D.
2b43ce0a-cc61-4d86-b15d-794208ffa5d3
Holgate, S.T.
2e7c17a9-6796-436e-8772-1fe6d2ac5edc
Clough, J.
4b4443e1-7dce-4b09-842e-d1a33cdbb3bc
Josephs, L.
9e0c7b16-4dd3-4c47-90b5-5dffb33787f3
Chauhan, A.J.
80ced09a-aebc-4540-82f1-eef6cb8e7f2d
Inskip, H.M.
5fb4470a-9379-49b2-a533-9da8e61058b7
Linaker, C.H.
6c6d1b90-ee40-4c96-8b2e-b06efbe030ae
Coggon, D.
2b43ce0a-cc61-4d86-b15d-794208ffa5d3
Holgate, S.T.
2e7c17a9-6796-436e-8772-1fe6d2ac5edc
Clough, J.
4b4443e1-7dce-4b09-842e-d1a33cdbb3bc
Josephs, L.
9e0c7b16-4dd3-4c47-90b5-5dffb33787f3
Chauhan, A.J.
80ced09a-aebc-4540-82f1-eef6cb8e7f2d
Inskip, H.M.
5fb4470a-9379-49b2-a533-9da8e61058b7

Linaker, C.H., Coggon, D., Holgate, S.T., Clough, J., Josephs, L., Chauhan, A.J. and Inskip, H.M. (2000) Personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide and risk of airflow obstruction in asthmatic children with upper respiratory infection. Thorax, 55 (11), 930-933.

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: Several studies have linked air pollution by nitrogen dioxide (NO2) with increased hospital admissions for asthma in children. Exacerbations of asthma in children are often precipitated by upper respiratory infections. It is therefore possible that NO2 increases the risk of airways obstruction when asthmatic children develop upper respiratory infections.
Methods: To test this hypothesis a sample of 114 asthmatic children aged 7-12 years were followed for a total of up to 13 months. Probable upper respiratory infections were identified by consensus review of daily symptom diaries, and episodes of airways obstruction from serial records of peak expiratory flow (PEF). Personal exposures to NO2 were measured with Palmes tubes that were changed weekly. Generalised estimating equations were used to assess the relative risk (RR) of an asthmatic exacerbation starting within seven days of an upper respiratory infection according to estimated NO2 exposure during the one week period from two days before to four days after the onset of the infection.
Results: The children were followed for an average of 34 weeks during which 318 upper respiratory infections and 224 episodes of reduced PEF were diagnosed. PEF episodes were much more likely to occur in the seven days following the onset of an upper respiratory infection than at other times. Estimated exposures to NO2 at the time of infections were generally low (geometric mean 10.6 µg/m3). Compared with exposures of =<8 µg/m3, exposures of >28 µg/m3 were associated with a RR of 1.9 (95% confidence interval 1.1 to 3.4) for the development of an asthmatic episode within seven days of an infection.
Conclusions: The findings give some support to the hypothesis that NO2 increases the risk of asthmatic exacerbations following respiratory infections, even at relatively low levels of exposure. Further studies in populations with higher exposures would be useful.

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More information

Published date: 2000
Keywords: asthma, children, nitrogen dioxide, respiratory infections

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 27231
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/27231
ISSN: 0040-6376
PURE UUID: 0d1599f6-5d55-4364-975a-b3c25df0a11e
ORCID for C.H. Linaker: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1091-9283
ORCID for D. Coggon: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1930-3987
ORCID for H.M. Inskip: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8897-1749

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 28 Apr 2006
Last modified: 09 Jan 2022 02:52

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Contributors

Author: C.H. Linaker ORCID iD
Author: D. Coggon ORCID iD
Author: S.T. Holgate
Author: J. Clough
Author: L. Josephs
Author: A.J. Chauhan
Author: H.M. Inskip ORCID iD

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