Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 May;94(5):593-9.
doi: 10.1016/S1081-1206(10)61139-8.

Mouse exposure and wheeze in the first year of life

Wanda Phipatanakul  1 , Juan C Celedón, Diane L Sredl, Scott T Weiss, Diane R Gold
Affiliations

Mouse exposure and wheeze in the first year of life

Wanda Phipatanakul et al. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2005 May.

Abstract

Background: Studies have found that exposure to mice is highly prevalent among children with asthma living in urban areas.

Objective: To examine the relationship between exposure to mice and wheeze in the first year of life.

Methods: We conducted an ongoing prospective birth cohort study of 498 children with a history of allergy or asthma in at least 1 parent living in metropolitan Boston (the Home Allergens and Asthma Study).

Results: In a multivariate analysis, infants whose parents reported exposure to mice in the household had nearly twice the odds of developing any wheeze in the first year of life as children without exposure (odds ratio [OR], 1.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-2.95; P = .01). Other variables associated with wheeze in the first year of life included low birth weight (OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.06-2.95; P = .03), having at least 1 lower respiratory tract illness (OR, 5.59; 95% CI, 3.46-9.04; P < .001), exposure to high levels of endotoxin at age 2 to 3 months (fourth quartile compared with first quartile: OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.19-4.54; P = .01), and exposure to cockroach allergen of 0.05 U/g of dust or more at age 2 to 3 months (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.09-3.08; P = .02).

Conclusion: Among children with a parental history of asthma or allergies, exposure to mice is associated with wheeze in the first year of life, independent of other factors.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Niemeijer NR, de Monchy JG. Age-dependency of sensitization to aero-allergens in asthmatics. Allergy. 1992;47(pt 2):431–435. - PubMed
    1. Schwartz J, Weiss ST. Relationship of skin test reactivity to decrements in pulmonary function in children with asthma or frequent wheezing. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1995;152(pt 1):2176–2180. - PubMed
    1. Gold DR, Burge HA, Carey V, Milton DK, Platts-Mills T, Weiss ST. Predictors of repeated wheeze in the first year of life: the relative roles of cockroach, birth weight, acute lower respiratory illness, and maternal smoking. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1999;160:227–236. - PubMed
    1. Celedon JC, Litonjua AA, Ryan L, Platts-Mills T, Weiss ST, Gold DR. Exposure to cat allergen, maternal history of asthma, and wheezing in first 5 years of life. Lancet. 2002;360:781–782. - PubMed
    1. Platts-Mills T. Major risk factors according to age: the relevance of indoor allergens to the increase in asthma. In: Neffen HE, Baena-Cagnani CE, Fabbri L, Holgate ST, O’Byrne PO, eds. Asthma: A Link Between Environment, Immunology and the Airways. Seattle, WA: Hogrefe & Huber Publishers; 1999:200–208.

Publication types