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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2006.093302v1 AJPH.2006.093302v2 98/4/680    most recent Submit a response Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Potts, J. F. Articles by Bustos, P. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Potts, J. F. Articles by Bustos, P.

James F. Potts, Roberto J. Rona, MD, PhD, FFPH, Manuel J. Oyarzun, MD, Hugo Amigo, DMD, DrPH, MPH and Patricia Bustos, MD

At the time of this study, James F. Potts and Roberto J. Rona were with the Department of Public Health Sciences, King’s College London, London, England. Manuel J. Oyarzun is with the Institute of Bio-Medical Science, University of Chile, Santiago. Hugo Amigo and Patricia Bustos are with the Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to James F. Potts, Respiratory Epidemiology and Public Health, Imperial College London, Emmanuel Kaye Building, Manresa Rd, London SW3 6LR, England (e-mail: j.potts{at}imperial.ac.uk).

Objectives. We assessed the effects of indoor risk factors, including smoking, on different types of cough and on cough and wheeze in combination.

Methods. Our sample was composed of 1232 men and women residing in a semirural area of Chile. We used a standardized questionnaire, sensitization to 8 allergens, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine to assess cough and wheeze characteristics. Information was gathered on dampness, mold, ventilation, heating, housing quality, smoking, and environmental tobacco smoke exposure.

Results. Most exposures were associated with cough alone or cough in combination with wheeze. Smoking, past smoking, and environmental tobacco smoke exposure were strongly associated with dry cough and wheeze. The use of coal for heating was associated with dry cough. Leaks, mold, and lack of kitchen ventilation were associated with cough and wheeze. Nocturnal cough and productive cough were associated with specific types of sensitization, but dry cough was not. Productive cough was associated with hyperresponsiveness to methacholine.

Conclusions. Several different types of indoor exposures, including environmental tobacco smoke exposure, are important contributors to morbidity associated with cough and wheeze. A vigorous preventive strategy designed to lower exposures to indoor risk factors would lower rates of respiratory morbidity.