Intranasal air sampling in homes: relationships among reservoir allergen concentrations and asthma severity.

Background: The relationship among inhaled allergen exposure, sensitization, and asthma severity is unknown.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship among personal allergen exposure, reservoir dust allergen concentrations, and physiological measures of asthma severity; to examine the numbers of particles inspired that react with autologous IgE and IgG4.

Methods: A total of 117 patients with asthma wore 5 nasal air samplers (NASs) at home: 1 each for exposure to mite, cat and dog allergens, NAS-IgE, and NAS-IgG4.

High-efficiency particulate arrest-filter vacuum cleaners increase personal cat allergen exposure in homes with cats.

Background: On the basis of experimental chamber studies, vacuum cleaners with double-thickness bags and integral high-efficiency particulate arrest (HEPA) air filters are claimed to reduce airborne allergen levels and are currently recommended to allergic patients.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of vacuum cleaning on personal inhaled cat allergen exposure in homes with cats.

Methods: Five unused new vacuum cleaners were compared with an old non-HEPA filter vacuum cleaner.