Nasal mucosal histamine reactivity among teachers six years after working in a moisture-damaged school

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health environment & health, 2005-02, Vol.31 (1), p.52-58
• Main Authors: Rudblad, Stig, Andersson, Kjell, Bodin, Lennart, Stridh, Göran, Juto, Jan-Erik
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Blood circulation; Educational buildings; Faculty; Histamine; Histamines; Humans; Humidity - adverse effects; Hypersensitivity - diagnosis; Hypersensitivity - etiology; Hypersensitivity - pathology; Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; Medical sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Miscellaneous; Moisture content; Nasal mucosa; Nasal Mucosa - pathology; Nasal Provocation Tests; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Occupational medicine; Perfusion; Provocation defense; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Questionnaires; Reactivity; Schools; Skin Tests; Swelling
• ISSN: 0355-3140; 1795-990X
• DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.848

Objectives The objective of this study was to determine whether verified increased nasal mucosal reactivity among teachers, who had been working in a school with severe moisture problems, still persisted 6 years after remedial measures had been taken. The increased nasal mucosal reactivity, measured as the mucosal swelling reaction upon histamine provocation, had earlier been shown both 1 and 3 years after the renovation. Methods Twenty-four teachers in the target school and sixteen teachers in the control school, who participated in all the investigations (1995, 1997 and 2000), answered a standardized questionnaire and underwent a nasal histamine provocation test. In addition to the registration of mucosal swelling, the microcircular reaction to histamine provocation was measured with laser-Doppler flowmetry. Results The nasal histamine reactivity among the teachers, measured as the mucosal swelling reaction, was no longer increased. However, the laser-Doppler flowmetry showed that the teachers in the target school had significantly divergent microcircular perfusion (P= 0.0022) and a concentration of moving blood cells (P= 0.0009) in the histamine provocation when compared with the teachers in the control school; this finding indicates morepronounced plasma leakage and edema from the nasal mucosa. Conclusions Restored nasal histamine reactivity, measured as mucosal swelling reaction, was observed among the teachers 6 years after an obviously successful renovation of the school environment. However, changes in microcirculation indicate a remaining effect on the nasal mucosa.