Introduction: Many studies have demonstrated that outdoor pollution might exacerbate respiratory symptoms and childhood asthma. Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between asthma and outdoor and indoor pollution.
Methods: We undertook a survey in May-June 2012 about schoolchildren aged 12-19 years in six Lebanese schools. This combined the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) standardized questionnaire with other questions addressing outdoor and indoor exposure.
Results: Among 717 subjects (response rate 71.7%), 4.5% had physician-diagnosed asthma, 34.7% had probable asthma and 60.8% were asymptomatic. Exposure to indoor contaminants was positively associated to asthma. The risk for asthma was higher in those residing near heavy road traffic (ORa=4.30 [95% CI 1.45-12.71], P<0.05), those previously exposed to fire (ORa=1.84 [95% CI 1.01-3.36]), and those exposed to smog (ORa=4.15 [95% CI 1.42-12.12]). Airing the house in the morning or in case of indoor smoking had a protective effect against asthma.
Conclusion: These results suggest that the risks of asthma or having respiratory symptoms are not only related to indoor pollution but also to outdoor pollution especially from road traffic.
Keywords: Asthma; Asthme; Environmental factors; Facteurs environnementaux; Indoor pollution; Outdoor pollution; Pollution atmosphérique; Pollution domestique; Road traffic; Trafic routier.
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