Prenatal and early life exposure to air pollution and the risk of severe lower respiratory tract infections during early childhood: the Espoo Cohort Study.

Background: There is inconsistent evidence of the effects of exposure to ambient air pollution on the occurrence of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in early childhood. We assessed the effects of individual-level prenatal and early life exposure to air pollutants on the risk of LRTIs in early life.

Methods: We studied 2568 members of the population-based Espoo Cohort Study born between 1984 and 1990 and living in 1991 in the City of Espoo, Finland.

Residential greenness during pregnancy and early life and development of asthma up to 27 years of age: The Espoo Cohort Study.

Previous studies have suggested that living close to green spaces has protective health effects, but potential effects on asthma are contradictory. We investigated the association between the amount of greenness in the residential area during pregnancy and early life and development of asthma in the first 27 years of life. The study population included all 2568 members of the Espoo Cohort Study, Finland.

Effect of cold winters on the risk of new asthma: a case-crossover study in Finland.

Background: Cold weather increases respiratory symptoms and provokes exacerbations of asthma, but there are no previous studies on its role in the aetiology of asthma.

Objective: We tested the hypothesis that a cold winter increases the risk of developing asthma during the following 1 to 2 years.

Methods: We conducted a case-crossover study of 315 newly diagnosed cases of asthma from the population-based Espoo Cohort Study from birth to the age of 27 years.

Occupation and occurrence of respiratory infections among adults with newly diagnosed asthma.

Background: Work environments are potential areas for spreading respiratory infections. We hypothesized that certain occupations increase susceptibility to respiratory infections among adults with asthma. Our objective was to compare the occurrence of respiratory infections among different occupations in adults with newly diagnosed asthma.

Effects of occupational exposures on respiratory health in steel factory workers.

Background: The steel factory work environment contains various chemical exposures that can affect indoor air quality and have impact on respiratory health of the workers.

Aims: The objective of this study was to assess potential effects of occupational exposures in steel factory workers in Iran on the respiratory symptoms, occurrence and the lung function levels.

Method: This was a cross-sectional study of 133 men working in a steel factory forming the exposed group and 133 male office workers forming the reference group from a steel company in Iran.

Subtypes of Adult-Onset Asthma at the Time of Diagnosis: A Latent Class Analysis.

Introduction: Only a few previous studies have investigated the subtypes of adult-onset asthma. No previous study has assessed whether these subtypes are different between men and women, or whether these subtypes have different risk factors.

Methods: We applied latent class analyses to the Finnish Environment and Asthma Study population, including 520 new cases of adult-onset asthma.

Asthma and Respiratory Infections From Birth to Young Adulthood.

We applied data from a population-based prospective study, the Espoo Cohort Study (n = 2,568), to identify the potential susceptibility of persons with asthma to respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Information on the occurrence of asthma and both upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) was collected with a questionnaire at baseline and at the 6-year and 20-year follow-up studies, and from the Finnish national health registries. We estimated age- and sex-specific incidence rate differences (IRDs) and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) by applying negative binomial regression.

Residential Exposure to Dampness Is Related to Reduced Level of Asthma Control among Adults.

We assessed potential relations between indicators of indoor dampness and mold exposures at home and the level of asthma control among adults. The present population-based cross-sectional study, the Northern Finnish Asthma Study (NoFAS), included 1995 adult subjects with bronchial asthma who replied to study questionnaires (response rate: 40.4%).

Do hospital workers experience a higher risk of respiratory symptoms and loss of lung function?

Background: Hospital work environment contains various biological and chemical exposures that can affect indoor air quality and have impact on respiratory health of the staff. The objective of this study was to investigate potential effects of occupational exposures on the risk of respiratory symptoms and lung function in hospital work, and to evaluate potential interaction between smoking and occupational exposures.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 228 staff members in a hospital and 228 employees of an office building as the reference group in Shiraz, Iran.

Subtypes of Asthma and Cold Weather-Related Respiratory Symptoms.

(1) Poor asthma control increases the occurrence of cold weather-related symptoms among adult asthmatics. We assessed whether the subtype of asthma, taking into account the severity of the asthma, plays a role in these symptoms. (2) We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study of 1995 adult asthmatics (response rate 40.

Worldwide prevalence of rhinitis in adults: A review of definitions and temporal evolution.

Introduction: Although rhinitis is among the most common diseases worldwide, rhinitis prevalence in the general adult population is unclear and definitions differ widely.

Objective: To summarize the literature on rhinitis prevalence in the general adult population and to assess: (1) the prevalence according to different rhinitis definitions overall and in different regions of the world, and (2) the evolution of rhinitis prevalence over time.

Methods: We conducted an extensive literature review of publications including rhinitis prevalence using Pubmed and Scopus databases up to October 2020.

Different effects of smoking on atopic and non-atopic adult-onset asthma.

Background: Both tobacco smoking and atopy increase the risk of adult-onset asthma. We studied if there are differences in the effects of smoking on the risks of atopic and non-atopic adult-onset asthma, and if gender modifies these effects.

Methods: The Finnish Environment and Asthma Study (FEAS) includes 521 incident cases of adult-onset asthma and 932 population-based controls, aged 21 to 63 years, recruited from a geographically defined area of Pirkanmaa, South Finland.

Occupation and subcategories of asthma: a population-based incident case-control study.

Background: We hypothesised that occupational exposures differently affect subtypes of adult-onset asthma.

Objective: We investigated potential relations between occupation and three subtypes of adult asthma, namely atopic asthma, non-atopic asthma and asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS).

Methods: This is a population-based case-control study of incident asthma among working-age adults living in Pirkanmaa Hospital District in Southern Finland.

Airborne pollen concentrations and daily mortality from respiratory and cardiovascular causes.

We conducted a time-series analysis of the relations between daily levels of allergenic pollen and mortality in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area with 153 378 deaths; 9742 from respiratory and 57 402 from cardiovascular causes. Daily (average) pollen counts of alder, birch, mugwort and grass were measured. In quasi-Poisson regression analysis, abundant alder pollen increased the risk of non-accidental deaths with an adjusted cumulative mortality rate ratio (acMRR) of 1.

Occupational exposures and respiratory symptoms and lung function among hairdressers in Iran: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Exposures at hairdressers' work have been reported to lead to an increased risk of several health outcomes. The present study aimed to investigate the relations between occupational exposures and respiratory symptoms and lung function among hairdressers in Iran.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to compare potential respiratory effects among 140 women working as hairdressers to such effects among 140 women working as office workers (administrative personnel).

Occurrence of respiratory symptoms and lung function deficits among fruit and vegetable market workers.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the potential effects of occupational exposures among fruit and vegetable market workers on the occurrence of respiratory symptoms and on the level of lung function parameters.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 140 men working as fruit and vegetable market workers (response rate 100%) and a reference group of 77 male office workers as the reference group (response rate 55%) from Shiraz, Iran. The outcomes of interest included occurrence of respiratory symptoms assessed by a standard respiratory questionnaire and lung function assessed by spirometry.

The effect of sampling height on grass pollen concentrations in different urban environments in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland.

Introduction: It is important to study potential differences in pollen concentrations between sampling heights because of diverse outdoor and indoor activity of humans (exposure) at different height levels in urban environments. Previous studies have investigated the effect of height on pollen concentrations based on just one or a few sampling points. We studied the effect of sampling height on grass pollen concentrations in several urban environments with different levels of urbanity.

Short-term prenatal exposure to ambient air pollution and risk of preterm birth - A population-based cohort study in Finland.

Background: Previous studies have provided evidence that prenatal exposure to low-level air pollution increases the risk of preterm birth (PTB), but the findings of the effects of short-term exposure have been inconclusive. Moreover, there is little knowledge on potential synergistic effects of different combinations of air pollutants.

Objectives: To assess independent and joint effects of prenatal exposure to air pollutants during the week prior to the delivery on the risk of PTB.

Association between regular exercise and asthma control among adults: The population-based Northern Finnish Asthma Study.

Previously those with asthma were often advised to avoid strenuous exercise because of fear for exercise-induced asthmatic reactions, but recent findings suggest many beneficial effects on health related to exercise. We elaborated on the relation between regular exercise and asthma control among adults. This was a population-based cross-sectional Northern Finnish Asthma Study (NoFAS), in which altogether 1922 adult subjects 17-73 years old living in Northern Finland answered the NoFAS questionnaire.

Indoor mold odor in the workplace increases the risk of Asthma-COPD Overlap Syndrome: a population-based incident case-control study.

Background: Previous studies have suggested an increased risk of asthma related to indoor dampness problems, but their role in the etiology of Asthma-COPD Overlap Syndrome has not been studied. We utilized a population-based incident case-control study to assess potential effect of indoor dampness and molds at home and at work on development of ACOS.

Methods: We recruited systematically all new cases of asthma diagnosed during a 2.

Short-term exposure to pollen and the risk of allergic and asthmatic manifestations: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Several studies have assessed effects of short-term exposure to pollen on allergic and asthmatic manifestations. The evidence is inconclusive, and no meta-analysis has been published.

Objective: To synthesise the evidence on the relations between short-term pollen exposure and the risk of allergic and asthmatic manifestations.

Dental caries is associated with lower respiratory tract infections: A population-based cohort study.

Introduction: Dental caries and respiratory tract infections are among the most common infectious diseases worldwide and they both are appearing in the respiratory system. However, their relations are still unclear. This study investigated the association of dental caries on the risk of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in young adulthood.