Environmental and Occupational DisordersCockroach allergen exposure and sensitization in suburban middle-class children with asthma☆,☆☆
Section snippets
Study population
Participants were recruited for a randomized controlled trial of environmental allergen control from 3 pediatric practices in the counties surrounding Baltimore and 1 practice located within Baltimore city limits. Children between the ages of 6 and 17 years who had physician-diagnosed asthma were contacted, and if the family was interested in participating, a screening questionnaire was administered to determine eligibility. Participants were eligible if they had currently active asthma,
Results
Three hundred thirty-nine study participants had valid skin test results and completed the baseline questionnaire and home evaluation (Table I).
Race (336) African American, n (%) 128 (38) White 165 (49) Other 43 (13) Annual income (339) <15,000, n (%) 32 (9) 15-29,999 33 (10) 30–49,999 41 (12) 50–74,999 57 (17) ≥75,000 123 (36) Refused-missing 53 (16) Maternal education (334) Some high school, n (%) 19 (6) High school degree 58 (17) Some college 98 (29) College graduate 99 (30) Postgraduate
Discussion
We have found a surprisingly high prevalence of cockroach allergen exposure and sensitization in a predominantly suburban middle-class population. Previously published studies suggested that the prevalence of cockroach allergen in suburban middle-class homes was well below the 41% that we found in our population.2, 3, 4 Further analysis of our data revealed that almost half of the mothers of our participants held college degrees and that over 50% of families had annual incomes of greater than
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Supported by grants from the NHLBI (#R18-HL058942), the NIEHS (#PO1 ES09606), the US Environmental Protection Agency (#R-82672401), the NIAID (#T32 AI07007), and the Johns Hopkins Hospital Eudowood Foundation.
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Reprint requests: Elizabeth C. Matsui, MD, Johns Hopkins Hospital, CMSC 1102, 600 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21287.