Allergen Sensitization and Asthma Outcomes among World Trade Center Rescue and Recovery Workers

Belen Rojano, Erin West, Emily Ferdermann, Steven Markowitz, Denise Harrison, Laura Crowley, Paula Busse, Alex D. Federman and Juan P. Wisnivesky
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Belen Rojano: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
Erin West: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
Emily Ferdermann: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
Steven Markowitz: Barry Commoner Center for Health and the Environment, Queens College, City University of New York, Queens, New York, NY 11367, USA
Denise Harrison: Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
Laura Crowley: Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
Paula Busse: Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
Alex D. Federman: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
Juan P. Wisnivesky: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 5, 1-11

Abstract: A large number of World Trade Center (WTC) rescue and recovery workers are affected by asthma. While physical and mental health comorbidities have been associated with poor asthma control in this population, the potential role of allergen sensitization is unknown. This study examined the association of indoor sensitization and exposure as a risk factor for increased asthma morbidity in WTC workers. We used data from a prospective cohort of 331 WTC workers with asthma. Sensitization to indoor allergens was assessed by measurement of antigen-specific serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels. We used validated tools to evaluate the exposure to indoor allergens. Asthma morbidity outcomes included level of control (Asthma Control Questionnaire, ACQ), quality of life (Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, AQLQ) and acute resource utilization. The prevalence of sensitization to cat, dog, mouse, dust mite, cockroach, and mold allergens were 33%, 21%, 17%, 40%, 17%, and 17%, respectively. Unadjusted and regression analyses showed no significant relationship between sensitization and increased asthma morbidity ( p > 0.05 for all comparisons), except for sensitization to Aspergillus Fumigatus, cat and mouse epithelium, which were associated with decreased morbidity.

Keywords: World Trade Center; indoor allergens sensitization; asthma quality of life; asthma control; asthma outcomes; mini asthma quality of life questionnaire; asthma morbidity; WTC-related asthma; immunoglobulin E; allergen exposure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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