ArticleInternational archives of occupational and environmental health2011
Prolonged exposure to damp and moldy workplaces and new-onset asthma.
Article in International archives of occupational and environmental health, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Residential dampness and molds and the risk of developing asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2012Pooled it
- Trial
- Fatigue and exposure to mold and/or dampness: A systematic review of the literature from 2011-2018.Environmental analysis, health and toxicology · 2025Article
- Laboratory Test Results in Patients with Workplace Moisture Damage Associated Symptoms-The SAMDAW Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in Patients Exposed to Moisture Damage at Work and in General Working-Age Population-The SAMDAW Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Clinical Findings among Patients with Respiratory Symptoms Related to Moisture Damage Exposure at the Workplace-The SAMDAW Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Indoor Microbial Exposures and Chronic Lung Disease: From Microbial Toxins to the Microbiome.Clinics in chest medicine · 2020Review
- Workplace interventions for treatment of occupational asthma.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Review
- Observational cross-sectional study on Symptoms Associated to Moisture DAmage at Workplace: the SAMDAW study protocol.BMJ open · 2019Observational
- Indoor mould exposure, asthma and rhinitis: findings from systematic reviews and recent longitudinal studies.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2018Review
- A new family and genus inIMA fungus · 2017Article
- Clinical Diagnosis of the Dampness and Mold Hypersensitivity Syndrome: Review of the Literature and Suggested Diagnostic Criteria.Frontiers in immunology · 2017Review
- Asthma risk factors.International forum of allergy & rhinology · 2015Review
- Aspergillus, Penicillium and Talaromyces isolated from house dust samples collected around the world.Studies in mycology · 2014Article
- Geographic variation in susceptibility to ventilator-associated pneumonia after traumatic injury.The journal of trauma and acute care surgery · 2013Article
- Higher environmental relative moldiness index values measured in homes of adults with asthma, rhinitis, or both conditions.Environmental research · 2013Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeEpidemiological evidence shows that indoor dampness is associated with respiratory symptoms, the aggravation of preexisting asthma, and the development of new-onset asthma. Follow-up studies indicate that symptoms compatible with asthma constitute risk factors for the future development of asthma. The aims of the study were (1) to assess whether asthma-like symptoms (cough, dyspnea, and wheeze) that occur in relation to exposure to damp and moldy work environments lead to the later development of asthma and (2) to assess the importance of continued exposure to indoor dampness and molds at work in the development of asthma.
methodsWe followed 483 patients with asthma-like symptoms related to damp workplaces but without objective evidence of asthma in baseline examinations. The development of asthma and present work conditions were established with the use of a questionnaire 3-12 years later.
resultsA total of 62 patients (13%) reported having developed asthma during the study period. Continued exposure to a damp or moldy environment was associated with a more than fourfold increase in the risk of asthma (odds ratio 4.6, 95% confidence interval 1.8-11.6). Working in a non-remediated environment at follow-up was the strongest risk factor for developing asthma. The remediation of damp buildings seemed to be associated with a decrease in the risk of asthma.
conclusionsThe results indicate that exposure at work to dampness and molds is associated with the occurrence of new-onset asthma. Exposed workers suffering from asthma-like symptoms represent a risk group for the development of asthma. The risk appears especially high if the exposure continues. Due to inherent weaknesses of patient series, the findings need corroborative studies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.