Prenatal exposure to environmental chemical contaminants and asthma and eczema in school-age children

TY - JOUR

T1 - Prenatal exposure to environmental chemical contaminants and asthma and eczema in school-age children

AU - Smit, L A M

AU - Lenters, V

AU - Høyer, B B

AU - Lindh, C H

AU - Pedersen, H S

AU - Liermontova, I

AU - Jönsson, B A G

AU - Piersma, A H

AU - Bonde, J P

AU - Toft, G

AU - Vermeulen, R

AU - Heederik, D

N1 - © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2015/6/1

Y1 - 2015/6/1

N2 - Abstract Background Emerging evidence suggests that prenatal or early-life exposures to environmental contaminants may contribute to an increased risk of asthma and allergies in children. We aimed to the explore associations of prenatal exposures to a large set of environmental chemical contaminants with asthma and eczema in school-age children. Methods We studied 1024 mother-child pairs from Greenland and Ukraine from the INUENDO birth cohort. Data were collected by means of an interview-based questionnaire when the children were 5-9 years of age. Questions from the ISAAC study were used to define asthma, eczema, and wheeze. We applied principal components analysis (PCA) to sixteen contaminants in maternal serum sampled during pregnancy, including perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), metabolites of diethylhexyl (DEHP) and diisononyl (DiNP) phthalates, PCB-153, and p,p'-DDE. Scores of five principal components (PCs) explaining 70% of the variance were included in multiple logistic regression models. Results In a meta-analysis that included both populations, the PC2 score, reflecting exposure to DiNP, was negatively associated with current eczema (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.52-0.96). Other associations were not consistent between the two populations. In Ukrainian children, the PC3 score (DEHP) was positively associated with current wheeze (adjusted OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.03-2.37), whereas the PC5 score, dominated by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), was inversely associated with current wheeze (OR 0.64, 0.41-0.99). In Greenlandic children, a negative association of PC4 (organochlorines) with ever eczema (OR 0.78, 0.61-0.99) was found. Conclusions We found limited evidence to support a link between prenatal exposure to environmental chemical contaminants and childhood asthma and eczema.

AB - Abstract Background Emerging evidence suggests that prenatal or early-life exposures to environmental contaminants may contribute to an increased risk of asthma and allergies in children. We aimed to the explore associations of prenatal exposures to a large set of environmental chemical contaminants with asthma and eczema in school-age children. Methods We studied 1024 mother-child pairs from Greenland and Ukraine from the INUENDO birth cohort. Data were collected by means of an interview-based questionnaire when the children were 5-9 years of age. Questions from the ISAAC study were used to define asthma, eczema, and wheeze. We applied principal components analysis (PCA) to sixteen contaminants in maternal serum sampled during pregnancy, including perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), metabolites of diethylhexyl (DEHP) and diisononyl (DiNP) phthalates, PCB-153, and p,p'-DDE. Scores of five principal components (PCs) explaining 70% of the variance were included in multiple logistic regression models. Results In a meta-analysis that included both populations, the PC2 score, reflecting exposure to DiNP, was negatively associated with current eczema (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.52-0.96). Other associations were not consistent between the two populations. In Ukrainian children, the PC3 score (DEHP) was positively associated with current wheeze (adjusted OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.03-2.37), whereas the PC5 score, dominated by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), was inversely associated with current wheeze (OR 0.64, 0.41-0.99). In Greenlandic children, a negative association of PC4 (organochlorines) with ever eczema (OR 0.78, 0.61-0.99) was found. Conclusions We found limited evidence to support a link between prenatal exposure to environmental chemical contaminants and childhood asthma and eczema.

KW - Asthma

KW - Child

KW - Child, Preschool

KW - Cohort Studies

KW - Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene

KW - Diethylhexyl Phthalate

KW - Eczema

KW - Environmental Exposure

KW - Environmental Pollutants

KW - Female

KW - Greenland

KW - Humans

KW - Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated

KW - Male

KW - Phthalic Acids

KW - Polychlorinated Biphenyls

KW - Pregnancy

KW - Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects

KW - Principal Component Analysis

KW - Respiratory Sounds

KW - Ukraine

U2 - 10.1111/all.12605

DO - 10.1111/all.12605

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 25753462

SN - 0105-4538

VL - 70

SP - 653

EP - 660

JO - Allergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

JF - Allergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

IS - 6

ER -