A STUDY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JAPANESE CEDAR IgE IN SERUM AND HOUSING ENVIRONMENT IN SCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

An ATS-DLD questionnaire (published by the Environment Agency of Japan) was used to carry out a survey of respiratory symptoms and housing environment on 766 elementary school children from Suginami Ward, Tokyo from June to July, 1984. Japanese cedar IgE values in their serum were also measured by RAST. The relationship between allergic histories, their nutritional intake as infants, their housing environment (housing structure and presence of pets) and their cedar IgE positivity rates (RS 2 or more) was studied. The following results were obtained: 1. The proportion of showing those with an allergic history positive cedar IgE was significantly higher than that of those without an allergic history. 2. The proportion of positive cedar IgE values in those who lived in well-ventilated wooden houses was significantly lower than that of those who lived in airtight steel-frame buildings on the 1st and 2nd floors. 3. On the relationship between positive cedar IgE values and the presence of pets or the nutritional intake of the children when they were infants the following observations were made: Cedar IgE positivity rates were significantly higher in the group (1) which had lived with pets (birds) in the house and had been artificial-fed than in the group (2) which had lived whithout pats and had been breast-fed or mix-fed. The positivity rate in group (1) was also significantly higher than in the group (3) which had lived without pets and had been artificial-fed.