Indoor mold exposure associated with neurobehavioral and pulmonary impairment:

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1: Arch Environ Health. 2003 Jul;58(7):390-8.

Indoor mold exposure associated with neurobehavioral and pulmonary

impairment: a preliminary report.

Kilburn KH.

University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine,

Environmental Sciences Laboratory, Alhambra, California 91803, USA.

Kilburn@...

Recently, patients who have been exposed indoors to mixed molds,

spores, and mycotoxins have reported asthma, airway irritation and

bleeding, dizziness, and impaired memory and concentration, all of

which suggest the presence of pulmonary and neurobehavioral

problems. The author evaluated whether such patients had measurable

pulmonary and neurobehavioral impairments by comparing consecutive

cases in a series vs. a referent group. Sixty-five consecutive

outpatients exposed to mold in their respective homes in Arizona,

California, and Texas were compared with 202 community subjects who

had no known mold or chemical exposures. Balance, choice reaction

time, color discrimination, blink reflex, visual fields, grip,

hearing, problem-solving, verbal recall, perceptual motor speed, and

memory were measured. Medical histories, mood states, and symptom

frequencies were recorded with checklists, and spirometry was used

to measure various pulmonary volumes and flows. Neurobehavioral

comparisons were made after individual measurements were adjusted

for age, educational attainment, and sex. Significant differences

between groups were assessed by analysis of variance; a p value of

less than 0.05 was used for all statistical tests. The mold-exposed

group exhibited decreased function for balance, reaction time, blink-

reflex latency, color discrimination, visual fields, and grip,

compared with referents. The exposed group's scores were reduced for

the following tests: digit-symbol substitution, peg placement, trail

making, verbal recall, and picture completion. Twenty-one of 26

functions tested were abnormal. Airway obstructions were found, and

vital capacities were reduced. Mood state scores and symptom

frequencies were elevated. The author concluded that indoor mold

exposures were associated with neurobehavioral and pulmonary

impairments that likely resulted from the presence of mycotoxins,

such as trichothecenes.

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