Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 May 17;7(2):100-106.
doi: 10.1016/j.cdtm.2021.04.003. eCollection 2021 Jun.

Outdoor air pollution and the onset and exacerbation of asthma

Lina Madaniyazi  1   2 , Seposo Xerxes  2
Affiliations
Review

Outdoor air pollution and the onset and exacerbation of asthma

Lina Madaniyazi et al. Chronic Dis Transl Med. .

Abstract

Exposure to outdoor air pollution has been consistently associated with asthma. In this study, we reviewed the epidemiological studies published within the last 5 years on the association between outdoor air pollution and exacerbation and onset of asthma. A large number of studies have been published within the last 5 years. Short-term exposure to outdoor air pollution is associated with exacerbation of pre-existing asthma, manifested as worsening of symptoms and increasing of asthma-related emergency room visits and hospital admissions. Furthermore, increasing evidence suggests that long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution can result in onset of asthma. Children are more susceptible to outdoor air pollution. Future studies should be conducted to explore the mechanisms underlying the association between air pollutants and onset of asthma, including gene involvement. In addition, disentangling the effect of a mixture of air pollutants and identifying the key components of air pollution will complete the existing evidence. More importantly, a better understanding is required on the future impact of air pollution on asthma under a changing climate.

Keywords: Asthma; Gaseous pollutants; Outdoor air pollution; Particulate matter.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None.

References

    1. Stanaway J.D., Afshin A., Gakidou E. Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet. 2018;392:1923–1994. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32225-6. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Health Effects Institute . Health Effects Institute; Boston, MA: 2015. HEI Strategic Plan for Understanding the Health Effects of Air Pollution 2015-2020.www.healtheffects.org Available from:
    1. GBD 2015 Chronic Respiratory Disease Collaborators. Global, regional, and national deaths, prevalence, disability-adjusted life years, and years lived with disability for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. Lancet Respir Med. 2017;5:691–706. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(17)30293-X. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization Chronic Respiratory Diseases: Asthma. https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/asthma [updated 15 May 2020; cited 23 December 2020]. Available from:
    1. Chen Y., Wong G.W., Li J. Environmental exposure and genetic predisposition as risk factors for asthma in China. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2016;8:92–100. doi: 10.4168/aair.2016.8.2.92. - DOI - PMC - PubMed