BACKGROUND: Mite allergen levels vary enormously between different homes in the same geographical area. No large scale studies of mite levels in Manchester homes has been conducted to identify factors associated with higher levels. OBJECTIVES: To quantify exposure to mite allergens and to identify characteristics associated with higher Der p 1 levels in a large sample of homes in Manchester, UK. METHODS: Der p 1 was measured in dust from the living room floor, sofa, bedroom floor and mattress in 564 homes. Data on household characteristics were collected by administering a questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify household characteristics associated with higher mite allergen levels. RESULTS: Der p 1 levels were highest in the mattress (GM 1.19 microg/g, 95% CI 0.98-1.45, P < 0.001). Two-thirds of homes contained Der p 1 levels > 2 microg/g in at least one dust reservoir, and 40.3% contained Der p 1 greater than 10 microg/g. There was a large range in Der p 1 levels between homes (> 10(3)-fold). Damp and condensation were common findings in homes. In the multivariate analyses, factors associated with higher Der p 1 levels in more than one dust reservoir were older homes, older living room carpets, damp, condensation and mixed glazing. Older mattresses were associated with higher mite allergen levels in the mattress where the age of the mattress was recorded. Twenty-four homes contained no detectable mite allergen, six of which reported damp. CONCLUSIONS: Mite allergen levels are high enough in two of every three homes to be associated with an increase in the risk of sensitization to mite. Factors such as older homes, carpets and mattresses, damp and condensation are associated with higher mite allergen. However, mite allergen levels are occasionally unpredictably very low in homes with risk factors for high levels.
BACKGROUND: Mite allergen levels vary enormously between different homes in the same geographical area. No large scale studies of mite levels in Manchester homes has been conducted to identify factors associated with higher levels. OBJECTIVES: To quantify exposure to mite allergens and to identify characteristics associated with higher Der p 1 levels in a large sample of homes in Manchester, UK. METHODS: Der p 1 was measured in dust from the living room floor, sofa, bedroom floor and mattress in 564 homes. Data on household characteristics were collected by administering a questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify household characteristics associated with higher mite allergen levels. RESULTS: Der p 1 levels were highest in the mattress (GM 1.19 microg/g, 95% CI 0.98-1.45, P < 0.001). Two-thirds of homes contained Der p 1 levels > 2 microg/g in at least one dust reservoir, and 40.3% contained Der p 1 greater than 10 microg/g. There was a large range in Der p 1 levels between homes (> 10(3)-fold). Damp and condensation were common findings in homes. In the multivariate analyses, factors associated with higher Der p 1 levels in more than one dust reservoir were older homes, older living room carpets, damp, condensation and mixed glazing. Older mattresses were associated with higher mite allergen levels in the mattress where the age of the mattress was recorded. Twenty-four homes contained no detectable mite allergen, six of which reported damp. CONCLUSIONS: Mite allergen levels are high enough in two of every three homes to be associated with an increase in the risk of sensitization to mite. Factors such as older homes, carpets and mattresses, damp and condensation are associated with higher mite allergen. However, mite allergen levels are occasionally unpredictably very low in homes with risk factors for high levels.
Authors: Jay Portnoy; Jeffrey D Miller; P Brock Williams; Ginger L Chew; J David Miller; Fares Zaitoun; Wanda Phipatanakul; Kevin Kennedy; Charles Barnes; Carl Grimes; Désirée Larenas-Linnemann; James Sublett; David Bernstein; Joann Blessing-Moore; David Khan; David Lang; Richard Nicklas; John Oppenheimer; Christopher Randolph; Diane Schuller; Sheldon Spector; Stephen A Tilles; Dana Wallace Journal: Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol Date: 2013-12 Impact factor: 6.347
Authors: Giuseppe di Mauro; Roberto Bernardini; Salvatore Barberi; Annalisa Capuano; Antonio Correra; Gian Luigi De' Angelis; Iride Dello Iacono; Maurizio de Martino; Daniele Ghiglioni; Dora Di Mauro; Marcello Giovannini; Massimo Landi; Gian Luigi Marseglia; Alberto Martelli; Vito Leonardo Miniello; Diego Peroni; Lucilla Ricottini Maria Giuseppa Sullo; Luigi Terracciano; Cristina Vascone; Elvira Verduci; Maria Carmen Verga; Elena Chiappini Journal: World Allergy Organ J Date: 2016-08-18 Impact factor: 4.084
Authors: Esmeralda J M Krop; José H Jacobs; Ingrid Sander; Monika Raulf-Heimsoth; Dick J J Heederik Journal: PLoS One Date: 2014-02-14 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Helen A Brough; Angela Simpson; Kerry Makinson; Jenny Hankinson; Sara Brown; Abdel Douiri; Danielle C M Belgrave; Martin Penagos; Alick C Stephens; W H Irwin McLean; Victor Turcanu; Nicolaos Nicolaou; Adnan Custovic; Gideon Lack Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol Date: 2014-10 Impact factor: 10.793