Personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide and childhood asthma
Personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide and childhood asthma
Clinical evidence suggests that exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) increases susceptibility to respiratory illness, and the following study aimed to test this hypothesis in school children with asthma.
A group of 114 children with asthma were recruited from homes without smokers. Daily diary cards of each child's respiratory symptoms and peak expiratory flow (PEF) measurements were maintained by families and passive personal monitoring was conducted throughout the study. A group of children without asthmatic symptoms and matched to the asthmatic children in terms of age and sex performed personal monitoring for a period of four weeks.
Results indicated that the two groups of children were exposed to comparable levels of NO2, and for the most part, their weekly personal exposure concentrations were well below current guidelines relating to outdoor NO2 levels.
Two paediatricians assessed episodes of respiratory illness and reductions in PEF from the daily diary cards. The incidence and nature of episodes of respiratory illness varied widely among the asthmatic children. The outcome of an upper respiratory infection was variable, although it was an important precipitating factor of episodes of asthmatic symptoms and reduced PEF.
When episodes of respiratory illness were analysed in relation to the preceding week's average personal NO2 exposure, no association was found with either the incidence of respiratory illness, or the severity or duration of an illness episode. The incidence and nature of a lower respiratory response (either symptoms or a reduction in PEF) following an episode of upper airway symptoms was also unrelated to average personal NO2 exposure. Gas cooking was significantly associated with a marginal increase in the incidence of URT illness episodes. This finding raises the possibility that repeated exposure to peak concentrations (such as during gas cooking) is more relevant in terms of health effects than longer-term average concentrations.
University of Southampton
1998
Linaker, Catherine Helen
(1998)
Personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide and childhood asthma.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
Clinical evidence suggests that exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) increases susceptibility to respiratory illness, and the following study aimed to test this hypothesis in school children with asthma.
A group of 114 children with asthma were recruited from homes without smokers. Daily diary cards of each child's respiratory symptoms and peak expiratory flow (PEF) measurements were maintained by families and passive personal monitoring was conducted throughout the study. A group of children without asthmatic symptoms and matched to the asthmatic children in terms of age and sex performed personal monitoring for a period of four weeks.
Results indicated that the two groups of children were exposed to comparable levels of NO2, and for the most part, their weekly personal exposure concentrations were well below current guidelines relating to outdoor NO2 levels.
Two paediatricians assessed episodes of respiratory illness and reductions in PEF from the daily diary cards. The incidence and nature of episodes of respiratory illness varied widely among the asthmatic children. The outcome of an upper respiratory infection was variable, although it was an important precipitating factor of episodes of asthmatic symptoms and reduced PEF.
When episodes of respiratory illness were analysed in relation to the preceding week's average personal NO2 exposure, no association was found with either the incidence of respiratory illness, or the severity or duration of an illness episode. The incidence and nature of a lower respiratory response (either symptoms or a reduction in PEF) following an episode of upper airway symptoms was also unrelated to average personal NO2 exposure. Gas cooking was significantly associated with a marginal increase in the incidence of URT illness episodes. This finding raises the possibility that repeated exposure to peak concentrations (such as during gas cooking) is more relevant in terms of health effects than longer-term average concentrations.
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Published date: 1998
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Local EPrints ID: 463182
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/463182
PURE UUID: 6c0887f0-5e24-40c0-a091-54fd33b00242
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 20:47
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 20:47
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Author:
Catherine Helen Linaker
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