Pollutants and climatic conditions related to the childhood asthma and atopic dermatitis

Abstract

Indoor, outdoor pollutants and climatic conditions in the growing environment can develop childhood asthma and atopic dermatitis. Therefore, it is important to identify the environmental burden of the community on the risk of childhood asthma and atopic dermatitis. To clarify the relationship between regional prevalence rate of childhood asthma and atopic dermatitis among the first grade elementary school students and preschool indoor and outdoor conditions such as smoking rate, photochemical oxidants concentration, ambient temperature and relative humidity, multiple linear regression analysis was performed. Stepwise multiple regression analysis with asthma rate as the objective variable, atopic dermatitis rate, smoking rate, photochemical oxidants, ambient temperature and relative humidity as explanatory variables, revealed that atopic dermatitis rate and smoking rate were significant independent variables. This result suggests that tobacco smoke is a risk factor for non-atopic asthma rather than atopic asthma. Stepwise multiple regression analysis with atopic dermatitis rate among first grade elementary school students as the objective variable, smoking rate, photochemical oxidants, ambient temperature and relative humidity as explanatory variables, revealed that photochemical oxidants and ambient temperature were significant independent variable. Present study suggests that preschool indoor and outdoor conditions such as environmental tobacco smoke, photochemical oxidants, and ambient temperature may be associated with the development of childhood asthma and atopic dermatitis.