PURPOSE: The study aims to classify schools based on traffic pollutants and their complex sources, to assess the environment, to determine the state of allergic diseases among students using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in children (ISAAC) questionnaire, and to assess their connection to air pollutants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of seven schools were divided into three categories according to the characteristics of their surrounding environments: three schools in traffic-related zones, two schools in complex source zones I (urban), and two schools in complex source zones II (industrial complex). ISAAC questionnaires were administered and the 4404 completed questionnaires were analyzed. RESULTS: The frequency of asthma treatment during the past 12 months showed a significant increase (p<0.05) with exposure to NO2 [1.67, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 1.03-2.71] in the complex source zones. The frequency of allergic rhinitis treatment during the past 12 months increased significantly with exposure to Black Carbon (1.60, 95% CIs 1.36-1.90) (p<0.001), SO2 (1.09, 95% CIs 1.01-1.17) (p<0.05), NO2 (1.18, 95% CIs 1.07-1.30) (p<0.01) for all subjects. CONCLUSION: In terms of supporting children's health, care, and prevention related to major spaces for children, such as school zones, spaces used in coming to and leaving school, playgrounds, and classrooms are essential to ensuring not only the safety of children from traffic accidents but also their protection from local traffic pollutants and various hazardous environmental factors.
Adolescent ; Air Pollutants/*adverse effects ; Air Pollution/*adverse effects ; Asthma/chemically induced/*epidemiology/*etiology ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; *Environmental Exposure ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial/chemically induced/*epidemiology ; Schools ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Vehicle Emissions/analysis/toxicity

There are more than 50 000 workers in Jinchuan Group Co, Ltd (JNMC). Since all staff in JNMC are eligible for a medical examination every two years, only 23 484 nickel-exposed subjects who participated in medical examination were included in this study. Their data, collected from June 22, 2011 to September 28, 2012, in a comprehensive epidemiological survey and during medical examinations, permitted an extensive evaluation of the relation between metal exposure, gene, epigenetics and risk of human diseases. Their lifestyle investigation showed that the overall prevalence of current smokers, alcohol drinkers, and tea drinkers was 39.1%, 19.7%, and 55.2%, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension, allergic rhinitis and cholecystitis , the top 3 prevalent diseases, was 11.7%, 11.0%, and 8.9%, respectively.
Adult ; Aged ; Alcohol Drinking ; epidemiology ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; analysis ; China ; epidemiology ; Cholecystitis ; epidemiology ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Life Style ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; etiology ; mortality ; Nickel ; toxicity ; Occupational Exposure ; statistics & numerical data ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; epidemiology ; Smoking ; epidemiology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVEOver the past few decades, secondhand smoke exposure among children become more serious and with China's implementation of the national policy of family planning and the family structure change, domestic pet has gradually become popular. This survey aimed to investigate the interactive effects of pet ownership and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on children's respiratory diseases and symptoms.

METHODUsing a cluster random sampling method, 5 elementary schools and 10 kindergartens were randomly selected from each district of Shenyang, and all children from the selected schools were recruited in this survey. The information about the children's respiratory diseases, conditions of pets ownership and ETS exposure were collected by an international standard questionnaire from American Thoracic Society.

RESULTA total of 9679 questionnaires were distributed to all the students enrolled in the selected schools, and 8798 completed questionnaires were collected with a response rate of 90.9%. Finally, 8733 questionnaires were used for further analysis. The results showed that the number of the patients and the prevalence of persistent cough, persistent phlegm, doctor-diagnosed asthma, current asthma, wheeze, and allergic rhinitis in children were 835 (9.57%), 366 (4.42%), 559 (6.40%), 215 (2.46%), 229 (2.62%), 397 (4.55%), respectively. After controlling for the effects of age, gender and other confounding factors, the results from the multivariate unconditional logistic regression analysis showed that either pet ownership or the ETS exposure significantly increased the risk of prevalence of respiratory diseases and symptoms in children. Compared with control group children, only the prenatal exposure to passive smoking or domestic pets made the risk of children with allergic rhinitis increased respectively 34% (OR = 1.34, 95%CI = 0.99 - 1.80) and 106% (OR = 2.06, 95%CI = 1.28 - 3.31), while the exposure of these two factors made the risk of children with allergic rhinitis increased 376% (OR = 4.76, 95%CI = 2.65 - 8.85), compared with the separate effect, the range of increase was 2.5 times.There was a significant interaction between pet ownership and ETS exposure on persistent cough, persistent phlegm, and allergic rhinitis in children, whereas, the combined effects of these two factors on doctor-diagnosed asthma, current asthma, and wheeze was approximately as expected on the basis of their independent effects on an additive scale.

CONCLUSIONThis study provides evidence that pet ownership and ETS exposure increases the risk of respiratory diseases and symptoms in children, and there was a significant interaction effects between these two factors on some respiratory diseases and symptoms.

Air Pollution, Indoor ; adverse effects ; statistics & numerical data ; Animals ; Asthma ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Environmental Exposure ; adverse effects ; statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Pets ; Prevalence ; Respiratory Sounds ; etiology ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tobacco Smoke Pollution ; adverse effects

OBJECTIVETo investigate the status of asthma control in the city and severity of asthma in children and to identify related factors.

METHODThis study was conducted in one children's hospital or tertiary hospital in each of the 29 provinces except Xinjiang and Xizang Autonomous Regions. Totally, 2960 parents with asthmatic children ages 0 to 14 years, and all had been diagnosed with asthma at least 3 months ago and the course was more than 12 months, who visited those hospitals were selected for the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) questionnaire survey, and separated into the controlled asthma group and uncontrolled asthma group according to children's asthma conditions in the past 12 months. Multivariate analysis was carried out based on the answers to 28 tested factors; 2485 of 2960 questionnaires from 29 provinces were valid.

RESULTOf the 2485 valid questionnaires, 66.0% asthmatic children had asthma attacks in the past 12 months, 26.8% asthmatic children had visited the emergency department, 16.2% asthmatic children had been hospitalized. The total cost was significantly higher in the uncontrolled group than in contro group (χ² = 23.14, P < 0.01). Parents' education level, parents' KAP scores, regular visits for asthma control, knowledge of "3 or more times recurrent wheezing suggesting asthma", knowledge of "cough lasting for more than 4 weeks suggesting asthma", knowledge of "cough improved with bronchodilators suggesting asthma", knowledge of "awareness of using short-acting β₂ agonist for acute attack", avoiding contact with plush toys, adhere to use nasal steroid, inhaled corticosteroids/composite preparation, age of children and course of asthma in children are protective factors that affect asthma control and severity of asthma in children. Food allergies, eczema and family history of asthma are risk factors.

CONCLUSIONAsthma in many children was poorly controlled. Factors that affect asthma control and severity include parents' knowledge about asthma, exposure to adverse environment, the compliance with medication and regular visits for asthma control. Awareness and improvement the related factors about asthma control and severity can help leading asthma to a well-controlled status and reducing the severity of asthma.

Age Factors ; Anti-Asthmatic Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Asthma ; drug therapy ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Glucocorticoids ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Parents ; psychology ; Retrospective Studies ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; complications ; Risk Factors ; Severity of Illness Index ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Allergic rhinitis is chronic disorder of nose which is evoked by IgE-mediated inflammation mostly triggered by contact between nasal mucosa and inhalant allergen. Allergic rhinitis can be classified according to seasonality (seasonal or perennial), continuity (intermittent or persistent), and severity (mild, moderate, or severe). Allergic rhinitis is relatively common, and the prevalence of allergic rhinitis has increased in Korea like other countries. As well as the prevalence of allergic rhinitis, the indoor and outdoor concentration of inhalant allergens and the sensitization to inhalant allergens were systematically investigated in Korea. As a result, house dust mite, pollens, fungal spores, cockroach, and animal hairs were found to be common inhalant allergens. Moreover, the concentration of tree pollens and grass pollens and sensitization to those pollens increased because of global warming, which may consequently increase the prevalence of pollen-induced allergic rhinitis. With regard to socioeconomic burden of allergic rhinitis, the direct medical cost including herbal and alternative medicine was as high as 1.78 million Korean won per year. Direct nonmedical cost as well as indirect cost including unproductivity, absenteeism, and medical cost for associated diseases such as asthma worsened the socioeconomic burden of allergic rhinitis.
Absenteeism ; Allergens ; Animals ; Asthma ; Classification* ; Cockroaches ; Complementary Therapies ; Epidemiology* ; Global Warming ; Hair ; Inflammation ; Korea ; Nasal Mucosa ; Nose ; Poaceae ; Pollen ; Prevalence ; Pyroglyphidae ; Rhinitis* ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; Seasons ; Spores, Fungal

Allergic rhinitis is chronic disorder of nose which is evoked by IgE-mediated inflammation mostly triggered by contact between nasal mucosa and inhalant allergen. Allergic rhinitis can be classified according to seasonality (seasonal or perennial), continuity (intermittent or persistent), and severity (mild, moderate, or severe). Allergic rhinitis is relatively common, and the prevalence of allergic rhinitis has increased in Korea like other countries. As well as the prevalence of allergic rhinitis, the indoor and outdoor concentration of inhalant allergens and the sensitization to inhalant allergens were systematically investigated in Korea. As a result, house dust mite, pollens, fungal spores, cockroach, and animal hairs were found to be common inhalant allergens. Moreover, the concentration of tree pollens and grass pollens and sensitization to those pollens increased because of global warming, which may consequently increase the prevalence of pollen-induced allergic rhinitis. With regard to socioeconomic burden of allergic rhinitis, the direct medical cost including herbal and alternative medicine was as high as 1.78 million Korean won per year. Direct nonmedical cost as well as indirect cost including unproductivity, absenteeism, and medical cost for associated diseases such as asthma worsened the socioeconomic burden of allergic rhinitis.
Absenteeism ; Allergens ; Animals ; Asthma ; Classification* ; Cockroaches ; Complementary Therapies ; Epidemiology* ; Global Warming ; Hair ; Inflammation ; Korea ; Nasal Mucosa ; Nose ; Poaceae ; Pollen ; Prevalence ; Pyroglyphidae ; Rhinitis* ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; Seasons ; Spores, Fungal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristics of allergic rhinitis sensitized with mite, providing the evidence for the treatment plan of allergic rhinitis in Tianjin area. METHOD: The medical records of skin prick test results on 2390 allergic rhinitis patients from March 2009 to February 2012 were retrospectively studied. The data of mite sensitivity in gender, age, season, and regional differences were analyzed. RESULT: There was no significant difference of the positive rate of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae between male and female (P > 0. 05); The positive rate of dust mite decreased gradually with the growth of the age in the three groups of < 18,18-39,40-60 years old, but the positive rate of the patients over the age of 60 years old increased then. There were significant differences of positive rate to dust mite in different season (P < 0.05). The positive rate of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus was the highest in the autumn (55.4%), and the lowest in winter (39.7%). The positive rate of Dermatophagoides farinae was the highest in winter (73.8%), and the lowest in spring (47.2%). There was no significant difference of the positive rate to dust mite between urban and suburb (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION There were some relationship of the positive rate of dust mite with age and season, but not gender and region among allergic rhinitis in tianjin.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Allergens ; analysis ; immunology ; Animals ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pyroglyphidae ; immunology ; Retrospective Studies ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; epidemiology ; immunology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To survey and analyze the allergic rhinitis patients' allergens in developed region of Pearl River Delta and developing region out of Pearl River Delta in Guangdong. METHOD: Sixteen standard allergens were adopted for skin prick test and correlation factors were studied on 858 cases suspected allergic rhinitis from developed region of Pearl River Delta and developing region out of Pearl River Delta. Two regions patients sorts of allergen and their detection rate were compared, and the relationship between allergen positive rate and age, gender, body weight, family history was analyzed. RESULT: The 6 kinds allergen with higher positivity in developed region of Pearl River Delta are dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (55.4%), dermatophagoides culinae (53.9%), tropical mite (38.3%), dog hair (11.8%), blattella germanica (11.5%) and cat hair (8.1%); that from developing region out of Pearl River Delta are dermatophagoides culinae (50.4%), tropical mite(48.0%), dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (47.2%), blattella germanica (13.4%), cat hair (8.7%) and dog hair (7.1%). There is no significant difference of allergen positivity between the patients from the two regions except tropical mite. The positive rate in 15-18 years old patients was also different in the two groups. The positive rate was highest in the age from 19 to 30 years old,with a decreasing trend in younger and elder patients. There is no significant difference of the allergen positive rate between the both groups with body weight, family history and gender (P > 0.05). A higher allergen positivity was found in the patients with family history (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, dermatophagoides culinae, Tropical mite, dog hair, blattella germanica and cat hair are the major allergens in developed region of Pearl River Delta and developing region out of Pearl River Delta in Guangdong, but their ranking has some difference in the two regions. Patients with family history had a higher allergen positive rate.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Allergens ; analysis ; immunology ; Animals ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Poverty Areas ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; epidemiology ; immunology ; Skin Tests ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To investigate which aeroallergens were prevalent in patients with allergic rhinitis in Yunnan. METHOD: Retrospective analysis of the medical records of intradermal test performed in 1893 AR patients. The samples were divided into four age groups: 4-17-year-olds, > 17-35-year-olds, > 35-50-year-olds and > 50-70-year-olds. According to gender,the samples were decided into two groups: the males and the females. The positive rate of aeroallergens were compared among the groups. RESULT: (1)The total positive rate of intradermal test was 70.1%. The top ten allergens were as follow: dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, dermatophagoides farina, house dust, pollen of the summer and autumn, alnus nepalensis, chenopodiaceae, mugwort, poaceae, brassica and cockroach. (2) In all groups,patients with triple positive allergens were the most common,followed by dual positive allergens and single positive allergen. (3) Among the top ten allergens, the top three positive ones in all groups were dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, dermatophagoides farina and house dust. And there were significant differences between 4-17-year-olds group and the other age groups (P < 0.01). (4) There was no significant difference between male and female patients in distribution of aeroallergens except House dust and mite. CONCLUSION The most common allergen in patients with allergic rhinitis in Yunnan is mite,the follow are pollen of the summer and autumn, alnus nepalensis, chenopodiaceae, mugwort, poaceae, and brassica. The distribution of aeroallergens are different among the age groups, but has no evident correlation with gender.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Allergens ; analysis ; immunology ; Animals ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pyroglyphidae ; immunology ; Retrospective Studies ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; epidemiology ; immunology ; Skin Tests ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To understand the distribution of allergens in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) in Quanzhou, for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment. METHOD: Twenty standardized allergen underwent skin prick testing (skin prick test, SPT) were used for 1236 patients with suspected AR patients in Quanzhou, and the different age, gender and severity in patients with allergen distribution differences of positive rate were analyzed. RESULT: The top 5 allergens with positive skin tests were D. pteronyssinus (66.7%), D. farinae (65.5%), Blattodea (32.8%), Sea crab (18.2%), and Sea lobster (16.8%). The positive rate of SPT in the minor groups and adult groups had significant difference (P < 0.05). Gender difference between the positive rate of SPT had no significant difference (P > 0.05). There was significant difference between the positive rate in patients with a family history and history of asthma and patients without above two history (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Dust Mite, Blattodea, Sea crab. Sea lobster are the most important allergens in quanzhou. Different ages of the patients with SPT positive rates vary, a family history, history of asthma patients with positive rate is higher than patients without a family history of asthma history, high positive rate.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Allergens ; analysis ; immunology ; Animals ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; immunology ; Skin Tests ; Young Adult