Indoor and Outdoor Pollution as Risk Factor for Allergic Diseases of the Skin and Lungs.

Abstract

Air pollution is worldwide a major public health problem and affects large part of the population. Air pollution does not only harm the respiratory tract system but also the other organs of the body. The damage may result directly from the pollutants toxicity, because the pollutant enters into the organs through a direct route or indirectly through systemic inflammation. There is accumulating evidence suggesting that ambient air pollution not only affects the human lung and the cardiovascular system, but also has negative effects on allergic diseases. In this regard, it has been shown that exposure increases the risk of allergies and eczema in children and adults. However, the mechanism how ambient air pollution affects the skin is not well investigated up to now and needs further research.