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. 2010 Dec 1;11(1):167.
doi: 10.1186/1465-9921-11-167.

Poverty, dirt, infections and non-atopic wheezing in children from a Brazilian urban center

Mauricio L Barreto  1 , Sergio S Cunha, Rosemeire Fiaccone, Renata Esquivel, Leila D Amorim, Sheila Alvim, Matildes Prado, Alvaro A Cruz, Philip J Cooper, Darci N Santos, Agostino Strina, Neuza Alcantara-Neves, Laura C Rodrigues
Affiliations

Poverty, dirt, infections and non-atopic wheezing in children from a Brazilian urban center

Mauricio L Barreto et al. Respir Res. .

Abstract

Background: The causation of asthma is poorly understood. Risk factors for atopic and non-atopic asthma may be different. This study aimed to analyze the associations between markers of poverty, dirt and infections and wheezing in atopic and non-atopic children.

Methods: 1445 children were recruited from a population-based cohort in Salvador, Brazil. Wheezing was assessed using the ISAAC questionnaire and atopy defined as allergen-specific IgE ≥ 0.70 kU/L. Relevant social factors, environmental exposures and serological markers for childhood infections were investigated as risk factors using multivariate multinomial logistic regression.

Results: Common risk factors for wheezing in atopic and non-atopic children, respectively, were parental asthma and respiratory infection in early childhood. No other factor was associated with wheezing in atopic children. Factors associated with wheezing in non-atopics were low maternal educational level (OR 1.49, 95% CI 0.98-2.38), low frequency of room cleaning (OR 2.49, 95% CI 1.27-4.90), presence of rodents in the house (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.06-2.09), and day care attendance (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.01-2.29).

Conclusions: Non-atopic wheezing was associated with risk factors indicative of poverty, dirt and infections. Further research is required to more precisely define the mediating exposures and the mechanisms by which they may cause non-atopic wheeze.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conceptual framework for development of asthma/wheezing, with and without atopy, and choice of appropriate comparison groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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