Residential moisture damage or mold exposure in younger children was linked with persistent wheezing phenotype in later childhood, according to a study published in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. Christina Tischer, PhD, and
colleagues led a study in which civil engineers conducted building inspections in children’s homes (N=344) during their first year of life. Until age 6, children were followed up with questionnaires. Latent class analyses were used
to define the frequency and type of wheezing phenotypes. For statistical analysis, a multinomial logistic regression model was used. Among participants, nearly 10% had a persistent wheeze, 23% had transient wheeze, and 63% had infrequent or no wheeze. The most common links with the persistent wheeze phenotype were observed in the presence of major damage or any moisture damage with visible mold in a child’s main living areas, and with minor moisture damage with or without mold spots. Transient wheezing was tied with early-age moisture damage or mold in the kitchen.
