Allergy and asthma proceedings :
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Allergy Asthma Proc · Jan 2003
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyHypersensitivity to molds in New York City in adults who have asthma.
Molds have been linked epidemiologically to asthma as a key aeroallergen in several studies. Other allergens such as cockroach have been linked to asthma in New York City (NYC). To our knowledge, however, the pattern of mold hypersensitivity has never been examined systematically in the NYC area. ⋯ Mold hypersensitivity was strongly correlated with hypersensitivity to cat or dust mites in patients who did not have asthma but not in patients who did have asthma. In the NYC area, recent pollen and spore counts show that mold spores are measurable in at least 75% of the year. Thus it is conceivable that mold hypersensitivity plays a contributing and independent role in initiating or perpetuating the allergic response in patients with asthma in the New York area.