Association between the First Occurrence of Allergic Rhinitis in Preschool Children and Air Pollution in Taiwan.

Hui-Ying Chung,Chun-Chieh Tseng,Lih-Ming Yiin,Chia-Jung Hsieh

doi:10.3390/ijerph13030268

Hui-Ying Chung, Chun-Chieh Tseng + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13030268

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Abstract

The occurrence of allergic rhinitis (AR) may be significantly influenced by air pollution. This study examined the association between the first occurrence of AR in preschool children and the pre-incident levels of air pollutants in Taiwan. We identified 9960 eligible subjects from a systematic sampling cohort database containing 400,000 insureds of the National Health Insurance from 2007 to 2011 and matched them with the environmental monitoring data from 2006 to 2011 according to the locations of their clinics. Pre-incident levels were determined using the average concentrations of air pollutants one or two weeks prior to the AR diagnoses. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine any significant relationships between AR and specific air pollutants. The first AR incidence for Taiwanese preschool children, which increased with age, was 10.9% on average; boys appeared to have a higher percentage (14.2%) than girls (8.27%). Among the air pollutants, carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) were significantly related to AR after adjusting for age and gender (p < 0.05). Because both pollutants are considered to be traffic emissions, this study suggests that traffic emissions in Taiwan need to be controlled to lower the prevalence of children’s AR.

Highlights

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common respiratory disease occurring in individuals who breathe air with allergens that cause nose inflammation and swelling
The first AR incidence in Taiwanese preschool children for 2007–2011 was 10.9%, with the boys’ outcome significantly higher than the girls’ (14.2% > 8.28%, odds ratios (ORs) = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.62–2.09)
The rates significantly increased with age from 4.21% to 18.6% as age increased from 2 to 6. This increasing trend should be of concern to parents and caregivers because AR could lead to chronic respiratory diseases or asthma without proper care or treatment

Summary

Introduction

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common respiratory disease occurring in individuals who breathe air with allergens that cause nose inflammation and swelling. A variety of allergens can trigger AR, including molds, pollens, animal dander, and dust mites [1]. Seasonal changes, such as temperature and humidity variations, may play a role in exacerbating AR [2,3,4]. A number of studies have indicated that the increasing prevalence of AR is associated with air pollution severity [2,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. Of the commonly monitored air pollutants, which include carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOX ), ozone (O3 ), particulate matter (PM), and sulfur dioxide (SO2 ), several have been found to be related to AR; the relationships are not consistent

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