Indoor air pollution and respiratory symptoms in a Norwegian community sample

Trude Duelien Skorge ^1*, Tomas ML Eagan ², Geir E Eide ³, Amund Gulsvik ⁴ and Per S Bakke ⁵

¹ Institute of Medicine,University of Bergen, Norway
² Dep of Thoracic Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway
³ Centre for Clinical Research, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway
⁴ Institute of Medicine and Dep of Thoracic Med, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
⁵ Institute of Medicine and Dep of Thoracic Med, Haukeland University Hospital,Bergen, Norway

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: tduelien{at}online.no.

Accepted 6 July 2005

Abstract

Background: Limited data is available on the effect of a poor indoor climate on the respiratory health in adults. No data is available regarding the contribution of indoor exposures to the burden of respiratory symptoms in the population.

Methods: In 1996/97, a community sample of 3181 adults, aged 26-82, was invited to a survey on indoor climate and respiratory health in Hordaland County, Norway. 2401 subjects participated. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between eight markers of indoor exposure, and physician-diagnosed asthma and five respiratory symptoms, after adjustment for sex, age, smoking, educational level, smoking-habits, pack-years and occupational airborne exposure.

Results: Mould exposure was associated with all the respiratory symptoms; the adjusted odds ratios (OR) varied from 1.6 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0-2.4) for phlegm cough to 2.3 (95% CI: 1.4-3.9) for dyspnoea grade 2. Cat or dog keeping in childhood was associated with dyspnoea grade 2 and attack of dyspnoea, the adjusted OR being 1.3 (1.0-1.7) and 1.4 (1.1-1.8) respectively. Having fitted carpet in the bedroom was negatively associated with three of the five respiratory symptoms. From 3% to 5% of the frequency of the respiratory symptoms in the study population could be attributed to exposure to visible moulds.

Conclusion: Mould exposure is an independent risk factor to several respiratory symptoms in a general population covering a wide age span. Still, mould exposure contributes to a minor degree to the respiratory symptom burden in the population at large.

Keywords: asthma, attributable fraction, community survey, moulds, respiratory symptoms

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