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Decreased Pulmonary Function Measured in Children Exposed to High Environmental Relative Moldiness Index Homes
Citation:
Vesper, S., L. Wymer, S. Kennedy, AND L. Grimsley. Decreased Pulmonary Function Measured in Children Exposed to High Environmental Relative Moldiness Index Homes. The Open Respiratory Medicine Journal. Bentham Science Publishers, Ltd., Oak Park, IL, 7(1):83-86, (2013).
Impact/Purpose:
Combining ERMI and FEV1% assessments might provide a more quantitative insight into the relationship between environmental exposures, like mold contamination, and the health of children with asthma.
Description:
Background: Mold exposures have been associated with respiratory diseases including asthma but the quantification of this relationship has been limited because of the metrics used. Objectives: Our objective was to evaluate the respiratory health of a cohort of children with asthma from New Orleans using the spirometric measure “forced expiratory volume in 1 second percentage” (FEV1%) in relationship to the mold contamination in the home measured using the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI). Study Design and methods: This analysis utilized data collected from a cohort of children with asthma recruited for the “Head-off Environmental Asthma in Louisiana” (HEAL) but this analysis was made independent of the original HEAL design. Children with asthma (n = 109 children) who had at least one spirometry test during the 12 month study and whose home was sampled for mold about the same time as the clinic visit were included in this analysis. For 50 of the 109 children, the spirometry testing and dust sampling and analysis were repeated (at least 6 months after the original testing) and the results of the two tests averaged. A DNA-based analysis of 36 indicator molds in settled dust was used to determine the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) value for each home. Results: In homes with ERMI values above 2.5, the child’s pulmonary function (as measured by FEV1%) and the ERMI value were inversely correlated (Spearman’s rho -0.23; p =0.03). Conclusion: Combining ERMI and FEV1% assessments might provide a more quantitative insight into the relationship between environmental exposures, like mold contamination, and the health of children with asthma.
