Early moisture, mold exposure associated with lung function, asthma markers in children

Residential moisture and mold exposure during infancy appeared associated with higher fractional exhaled nitric oxide levels at 6 years of age, according to research published in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.

This was especially true when the child’s residence did not change.

“A considerable proportion of children worldwide are exposed to a moldy and damp indoor home environment and exposure to indoor moisture damage and visible mold has been found to be associated with asthma and respiratory symptoms in several studies,” Christina Tischer, PhD, of the Institute for Health Resort Medicine and Health Promotion and the Institute of Social Medicine and Health Systems Research in Germany, and colleagues wrote.

The researchers collected fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) data from 322 children, along with lung function parameter and home inspection data from 216 children, in eastern Finland. They recruited half of the study population from rural areas between September 2002 and May 2004, and the second half from suburban areas between May 2004 and May 2005.

At an average of 5 months of age, civil engineers assessed participants’ living areas for visible mold and water damage. Researchers then assessed participants’ FeNO levels through rapid response chemiluminescence analyzation and lung function via spirometry — which are objective markers for airway inflammation and asthma — at 6 years of age.

Higher FeNO levels ( 75th percentile) appeared significantly associated with exposure to combined major moisture damage or mold (adjusted OR = 3.16; 95% CI, 1.43-6.98) and major moisture damage (aOR = 3.1; 95% CI, 1.35-7.07).

For the 152 children who never changed residence, exposure to major moisture damage or mold (aOR = 4.93; 95% CI, 1.52-16.43) and major moisture damage (aOR = 5.01; 95% CI, 1.53-16.75) showed more pronounced associations with higher FeNO levels.

As far as lung function parameters, forced expiratory pressure in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were reduced in children living in homes needing major structural repair; the FEV1/FVC ratio was not associated with structural damage. There was no association between exposure to moisture and increased FEV1 or FVC.

The main limitation of the study was its small sample size for early exposure to moisture damage with visible mold.

“These results underline the importance of prevention and remediation efforts of moisture and mold damaged buildings in order to avoid harmful effects within the vulnerable phase of the infants’ and children's immunologic development,” Tischer and colleagues wrote.