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The Indoor Environment and Childhood Asthma

  • Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (W Dolen, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Allergy and Asthma Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Sensitization and exposure to triggers in the indoor environment, including aeroallergens, indoor air pollution, and environmental tobacco smoke, have a significant role in asthma development and morbidity. This review discusses indoor environmental exposures and their effect on children with asthma as well as environmental interventions and their role in improving asthma morbidity.

Recent Findings

Recent research has emphasized the role of aeroallergen sensitization and exposure in asthma morbidity and the importance of the school indoor environment.

Summary

There is an established association between indoor exposures and asthma development and morbidity. Recent evidence has highlighted the importance of the indoor environment in childhood asthma, particularly the role of the school indoor environment. While home environmental interventions have had mixed results, interventions in the school environment have the potential to significantly impact the health of children, and ongoing research is needed to determine their effectiveness.

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Abbreviations

ELISA:

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

ETS:

Environmental tobacco smoke

FEV1:

Forced expiratory volume in one second

FVC:

Forced vital capacity

HDM:

House dust mite

HEPA:

High-efficiency particulate air

ICS::

Inhaled corticosteroids

IPM:

Integrated pest management

NO2 :

Nitrogen dioxide

PM:

Particulate matter

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Funding

This work was supported by the NIH grants (K24 AI 106822, U01 AI110397, U01 AI 126614, T32 AI007512) and the Allergy Asthma Awareness Initiative Inc.

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  1. Boston Children’s Hospital, Division of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Nicole Akar-Ghibril & Wanda Phipatanakul

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  1. Nicole Akar-Ghibril
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Correspondence to Wanda Phipatanakul.

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Dr. Phipatanakul reports grants and personal fees from Genentech/Novartis, grants and personal fees from Regeneron/Sanofi, grants and other from GSK, grants from Thermo Fisher, other from Lincoln Diagnostics, other from Alk Abello, and other from Monaghen, during the conduct of the study. Dr. Akar-Ghibril has nothing to disclose.

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Akar-Ghibril, N., Phipatanakul, W. The Indoor Environment and Childhood Asthma. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 20, 43 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-020-00941-5

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