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Outdoor air pollution, climatic changes and allergic bronchial asthma
G D'Amato1, G Liccardi, M D'Amato
1Division of Pneumology and Allergology, Azienda Ospedaliera ad Alta Specialità A.Cardarelli, Napoli, Italy. gdamato@qubisoft.it
The European Respiratory Journal
|October 3, 2002
Summary
Air pollution exacerbates respiratory allergies like asthma by increasing airway sensitivity to allergens. Urban air pollutants can alter allergen properties and impair airway defenses, contributing to rising allergy rates.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Allergology
- Immunology
Background:
- Rising prevalence and severity of respiratory allergic diseases globally.
- Association between urbanization, air pollution, and increased respiratory allergies.
- Atopic individuals show heightened airway responsiveness to aeroallergens upon pollution exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interrelationship between air pollution and respiratory allergic diseases.
- To explore how air pollutants modify aeroallergen properties and influence airway sensitization.
- To understand the mechanisms by which air pollution contributes to the increasing incidence of urban respiratory allergies.
Main Methods:
- Pollen used as a model aeroallergen to study air pollution interactions.
- Analysis of how air pollutants adhere to and potentially modify the antigenic properties of biological aerosols.
- Examination of the impact of air pollution on airway mucosal integrity and mucociliary clearance.
Main Results:
- Air pollutants can adhere to airborne allergens like pollen, potentially altering their antigenic nature.
- Impaired mucociliary clearance and airway mucosal damage from pollution facilitate allergen penetration.
- Pollution exposure enhances immunoglobulin E-mediated responses and airway inflammation, promoting allergic sensitization.
Conclusions:
- Air pollution plays a significant role in the increasing prevalence of respiratory allergic diseases, particularly in urban environments.
- The interaction between air pollutants and aeroallergens, coupled with pollution-induced airway damage, promotes allergic sensitization and inflammation.
- Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate the impact of air pollution on respiratory health.