ArticleBMC pulmonary medicine2009
Home exposure to Arabian incense (bakhour) and asthma symptoms in children: a community survey in two regions in Oman.
Article in BMC pulmonary medicine, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed.
- Indoor incense burning impacts cognitive functions and brain functional connectivity in community older adults.Scientific reports · 2020Trial
- Household Agarbatti (Incense Stick) and Combustion-Based Ritual Item Use as Indoor Air Pollutant Exposure in Pediatric Allergy Patients: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study.Indian journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Impact of Household Environmental Conditions on Residents' Health in the Dammam Metropolitan Area, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.Environmental health insights · 2026Article
- Assessing the Effects of Bakhour on Pulmonary Functions in Young Adults in Saudi Arabia.Cureus · 2025Article
- Indoor incense burning and impaired lung function in patients with diabetes.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Invited Perspective: Incense Burning and Cardiovascular Risk-A Rising Concern.Environmental health perspectives · 2025Article
- The Impact of Air Pollution on Asthma Severity among Residents Living near the Main Industrial Complex in Oman: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Exploring the Relationship Between Bakhour Use and Respiratory Health: A Cross-Sectional Study in the Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia.International journal of general medicine · 2024Article
- Antimicrobial Activity of Frankincense (Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Article
- Prevalence of asthma and allergies among children in the United Arab Emirates: A cross-sectional study.The World Allergy Organization journal · 2021Article
- Incense smoke-induced oxidative stress disrupts tight junctions and bronchial epithelial barrier integrity and induces airway hyperresponsiveness in mouse lungs.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Saudi Arabian real-life experience with biologic therapy in severe asthma.Multidisciplinary respiratory medicine · 2021Article
- The Adverse Impact of Incense Smoke on Human Health: From Mechanisms to Implications.Journal of inflammation research · 2021Review
- Impact of building ventilation systems and habitual indoor incense burning on SARS-CoV-2 virus transmissions in Middle Eastern countries.The Science of the total environment · 2020Article
- Indoor air pollution and exposure assessment of the gulf cooperation council countries: A critical review.Environment international · 2018Review
- Adolescent lung function associated with incense burning and other environmental exposures at home.Indoor air · 2017Article
- Trigger factors in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a single-centre cross-sectional survey.Singapore medical journal · 2016Article
- The Burden of Asthma in Oman.Sultan Qaboos University medical journal · 2015Review
- Induction of CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP1B1, increased oxidative stress and inflammation in the lung and liver tissues of rats exposed to incense smoke.Molecular and cellular biochemistry · 2014Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIncense burning has been reported to adversely affect respiratory health. The aim of this study was to explore whether exposure to bakhour contributes to the prevalence of asthma and/or triggers its symptoms in Omani children by comparing two Omani regions with different prevalence of asthma.
methodsA randomly selected sample of 10 years old schoolchildren were surveyed using an Arabic version of ISAAC Phase II questionnaires with the addition of questions concerning the use and effect of Arabian incense on asthma symptoms. Current asthma was defined as positive response to wheeze in the past 12 months or positive response to "ever had asthma" together with a positive response to exercise wheeze or night cough in the past 12 months. Simple and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the effect of bakhour exposure and other variables on current asthma diagnosis and parents' response to the question: "Does exposure to bakhour affect your child breathing?"
resultsOf the 2441 surveyed children, 15.4% had current asthma. Bakhour use more than twice a week was three times more likely to affect child breathing compared to no bakhour use (adjusted OR 3.01; 95% CI 2.23-4.08) and this effect was 2.55 times higher in asthmatics (adjusted OR 2.55; 95% CI 1.97-3.31) compared to non-asthmatics. In addition, bakhour caused worsening of wheeze in 38% of the asthmatics, making it the fourth most common trigger factor after dust (49.2%), weather (47.6%) and respiratory tract infections (42.2%). However, there was no significant association between bakhour use and the prevalence of current asthma (adjusted OR 0.87; 95% CI 0.63-1.20).
conclusionArabian incense burning is a common trigger of wheezing among asthmatic children in Oman. However, it is not associated with the prevalence asthma.
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