TOPLINE:

Exposure to mouse allergen in bedrooms showed a dose-response relationship with sleep-related daytime impairment, with elevated levels associated with approximately 2.6-fold higher odds of symptom development in children.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analyzed the data of 256 children (mean age, 9.5 years; 57% girls) to examine the association between exposure to household dust allergens and multiple sleep-related outcomes.
• Bedroom dust samples were collected and analyzed for the presence of indoor allergens: mouse (Mus musculus 1), cockroach (Blattella germanica 2), cat (Felis domesticus 1), dog (Canis familiaris 1), dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus 1 and D farinae 1), mold (Alternaria alternata 1 and Aspergillus fumigatus 1), ragweed pollen (Ambrosia artemisiifolia 1), and timothy grass pollen (Phleum pratense 5).
• Primary outcomes were caregiver-reported sleep-related daytime impairment and sleep disturbance, sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), and actigraphy-measured average nocturnal sleep duration and sleep continuity.

TAKEAWAY:

• Mouse, cat, and dog allergens were detected in 81%, 72%, and 53% of households, respectively.
• Elevated exposure to mouse allergen (0.55 μg/g) was associated with higher odds of symptoms of sleep-related daytime impairment (adjusted odds ratio, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.34-5.03; P < .01).
• Exposure to mouse allergen showed a significant dose-response relationship with sleep-related daytime impairment (P for trend = .02).
• No significant associations were found between cat or dog allergens and sleep outcomes or between mouse allergen and other sleep measures, including sleep disturbance, SDB, and short sleep duration.

IN PRACTICE:

“An elevation in mouse allergen was associated with increased sleep-related daytime impairment even after accounting for multiple health-related factors and sleep quality measures, suggesting this exposure is a potential contributor to pediatric sleep health disparities. This is a potential opportunity to apply environmental mitigation techniques from the asthma field to pediatric sleep medicine.” the authors wrote. 

SOURCE:

Seyni Gueye-Ndiaye, MD, with the Boston Children’s Hospital in Boston, was the corresponding author of the study, which was published online on November 3 in Sleep Health: Journal of the National Sleep Foundation.

LIMITATIONS:

The focus on a single geographic region (Greater Boston) and the modest sample size may have limited the study’s generalizability. The cross-sectional design, availability of limited data on allergen sensitization, and the study’s overlap with the COVID pandemic may have influenced the findings.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health through grants to two authors. One author reported consulting for and receiving clinical trial support from various pharmaceutical companies. Another author reported receiving consulting fees from Lilly, Inc.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.