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Prenatal exposure to environmental chemical contaminants and asthma and eczema in school‐age children
Author(s) -
Smit L. A. M.,
Lenters V.,
Høyer B. B.,
Lindh C. H.,
Pedersen H. S.,
Liermontova I.,
Jönsson B. A. G.,
Piersma A. H.,
Bonde J. P.,
Toft G.,
Vermeulen R.,
Heederik D.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.363
H-Index - 173
eISSN - 1398-9995
pISSN - 0105-4538
DOI - 10.1111/all.12605
Subject(s) - wheeze , asthma , medicine , respiratory sounds , pregnancy , environmental health , odds ratio , allergy , cohort , pediatrics , immunology , biology , genetics
Background Emerging evidence suggests that prenatal or early‐life exposures to environmental contaminants may contribute to an increased risk of asthma and allergies in children. We aimed to the explore associations of prenatal exposures to a large set of environmental chemical contaminants with asthma and eczema in school‐age children. Methods We studied 1024 mother–child pairs from G reenland and U kraine from the INUENDO birth cohort. Data were collected by means of an interview‐based questionnaire when the children were 5–9 years of age. Questions from the ISAAC study were used to define asthma, eczema, and wheeze. We applied principal components analysis ( PCA ) to sixteen contaminants in maternal serum sampled during pregnancy, including perfluoroalkyl substances ( PFAS s), metabolites of diethylhexyl ( DEHP ) and diisononyl ( D i NP ) phthalates, PCB ‐153, and p,p′‐ DDE . Scores of five principal components ( PC s) explaining 70% of the variance were included in multiple logistic regression models. Results In a meta‐analysis that included both populations, the PC 2 score, reflecting exposure to D i NP , was negatively associated with current eczema ( OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.52–0.96). Other associations were not consistent between the two populations. In U krainian children, the PC 3 score ( DEHP ) was positively associated with current wheeze (adjusted OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.03–2.37), whereas the PC 5 score, dominated by perfluorooctanoic acid ( PFOA ), was inversely associated with current wheeze ( OR 0.64, 0.41–0.99). In G reenlandic children, a negative association of PC 4 (organochlorines) with ever eczema ( OR 0.78, 0.61–0.99) was found. Conclusions We found limited evidence to support a link between prenatal exposure to environmental chemical contaminants and childhood asthma and eczema.