The June 21, 2004 Scientific American reported on a new study, conducted by researchers at the University of Ulm in Germany and published in the July issue of the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, which found that meteorological variables such as temperature and humidity are linked to rates of childhood asthma and eczema.
For the study, the researchers analyzed data from more than 650,000 subjects as part of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, which includes 155 participating centers around the world. According to the article, the researchers compared asthma and eczema rates against climate data for two age groups: children between the ages of six and seven and those aged 12 to 13.
The article says that for countries in western Europe, each 10 percent increase in indoor humidity was linked to an almost 3 percent rise in the rate of asthma. Furthermore, cities in which the average humidity dropped below 50 percent for at least one month a year had lower rates of asthma compared to more humid locales. Higher altitudes and more variable temperatures were associated with lower asthma rates, whereas children living in cities with higher temperatures were less likely to have eczema. The article asserts that although the relationship between climate and asthma rates remains unclear, the authors of the study suspect that increased exposure to dust mites and higher amounts of mold could be factors.
For the entire article: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=000624A7-66A2-10D3-A6A283414B7F0000.
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