OBJECTIVETo investigate the risk factors allergic asthma in adult as well as the indoor environmental risk factors.

METHODSCase-control study was used to collect the information from 102 cases of adults' allergic asthma and 394 controls. The information included general social demographic characteristics, disease history, smoking history, occupation, indoor environmental situation and genetic history of the families.

RESULTSThe case group had higher proportion of the history on occupational dust exposure than the control group (P < 0.05, OR = 1.78) with statistical significance. Poorer housing condition were more likely to cause adult allergic asthma or onset, with an odds ratio of 3.24. The results also showed that there was a correlation between the frequency of "quilt solarization" and adult allergic asthma (P < 0.10, OR = 1.53). We also found that the frequency of having woody floor in the living room of the patients cases was higher than that in the controls (P < 0.01, OR = 2.33) so as the degree of indoor cooking-oil fume contamination (P < 0.01, OR = 2.52). The statistical significant correlation was also found between the adult allergic asthma and the history of asthma or chronic bronchitis of their parents (P < 0.01, OR = 2.32).

CONCLUSIONSThe study showed that the indoor environmental risk factors as poor housing condition, fewer frequency of solarization for quilts, woody floor in the living room as well as indoor cooking-oil fume contamination were the possible risk factors related to adult allergic asthma. Occupational dust exposure and the family genetic history were also the possible risk factors. The study indicated that adult allergic asthma was a multi-factorial complex disease and the interaction of environmental and genetic risk factors played an important role in the onset of this disease.