The Effect of Black Carbon Exposure on Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life in Peri-Urban Peruvian Children with Asthma

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:Ambient air pollution,including traffic-related pollution,has been reported to be linked to rhinitis symptoms in children and adolescents.However,the impact of variations in pollutant exposure upon rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life (QOL) is unknown.METHODS:Three hundred ninety-three children with asthma, ages 9 to 19 years,in two periurban regions of Peru and self-reporting rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms were administered the Pediatric Rhinoconjunctivitis QOL Questionnaire (PRQLQ) or its adolescent counterpart (ARQLQ) at repeated intervals over 1 year. RQLQ scores were dichotomized to: not bothered(score=0) or bothered(score>0). Exposures to particulate matter<2.5μm (PM2.5) and one component,black carbon(BC), were determined by inverse distance weighted methods based on 1-month average gravimetric measurements preceding each visit. Multivariable logistic regression based on generalized estimating equations were used to estimate associations between pollutant exposure and QOL scores.RESULTS:Participants had a mean(SD) age of 14(2.6) years, and 44% were male. Majority of children were atopic(78%), of normal weight(74%), and had good control of their asthma(88%). Mean(SD) PM2.5 and BC exposure across all children-visits were 20.7(3.1) μg/m3 and 4.4(2.6) μg/m3, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, each 10μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was significantly associated with increased odds of being bothered by rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms (odds ratio[OR]; 95% confidence interval[CI]: 1.14; 1.03,1.94). When considering BC as a fractional component of total PM, a 10% increase in BC proportion was associated with increased odds of being bothered (OR:1.21; 95% CI: 1.05,1.39). In contrast,increases in the non-BC fraction of PM were not linked to higher risk of being bothered by rhinoconjunctivitis.CONCLUSION:This is the first study showing the potential role of the BC component of PM in rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life among asthmatic children.