Asthma Exacerbations and Symptom Variability in Children Due to Short-term Ambient Air Pollution Changes in Ostrava, Czech Republic

Abstract

SUMMARY Aim:The Ostrava region suffers from high levels of air pollution during winter inversions. We investigated the association between short-term elevations of air pollutant concentrations and worsening of respiratory problems, use of asthma medication and restriction of daily activities in asthmatic patients in Ostrava.Methods: One-hundred and forty-seven child and adolescent patients (aged 6-18 years) with a confirmed diagnosis of mild to moderate persistent asthma were included in the study. Participants' parents completed diaries covering the period of November 2013 to February 2014; this analysis included 18,228 person-days. Daily smoothed maps of outdoor concentrations of particulate matter (PM 10 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) were constructed from routine monitoring data, and participants' daily exposures were estimated on the basis of time spent at home and at school. The associations between health outcomes and exposure to air pollutants were estimated using the multiple logistic regression method.Results: The odds ratios (OR) of the combined outcome for wheezing and/or difficulty in breathing, per 10 µg/m 3 increase in the mean 24-h exposure were 1.07 (95% confidence interval 1.04-1.11) for PM 10 , 1.30 (1.18-1.44) for NO 2 , and 1.37 (1.18-1.59) for SO 2 . Additional inhaler use (in addition to usual medication) was also more frequent at higher air pollutant concentrations; the odds ratios per 10 µg/m 3 increase in the mean 24-h exposure were 1.05 (1.02-1.07) for PM 10 , 1.19 (1.10-1.30) for NO 2 , and 1.26 (1.11-1.43) for SO 2 . Associations were less consistent for other health outcomes.Conclusions: These results suggest moderately strong associations between air pollutant concentrations and respiratory difficulties among asthmatic children and adolescents. More detailed analyses are required to confirm these preliminary findings.

Endothelin-1-induced hypertrophic alterations and heme oxygenase-1 expression in cardiomyoblasts are counteracted by beta estradiol: in vitro and in vivo studies

“…Emerging trends in investigation of the biological properties of ET-1 and relevance of this vasoactive protein to cardiopulmonary disorders are driven substantially by recognition that this molecule is a critical factor in pathogenesis of diseases such as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) (Kylhammar and Radegran 2016 ). Etiologic contributors to these diseases prominently include chronic exposure to aerial pollutants, in particular oxides of nitrogen and sulfur and partly combusted fuels (Cheng et al 2015 ; Velicka et al 2015 ; Ghanbari Ghozikali et al 2016 ). Public health policies in nations with severe air pollution problems, particularly the People’s Republic Of China, have responded to the burden placed on their medical care facilities by prioritizing support for research into ET-1 and other biomolecules that affect respiratory and cardiovascular function (Pan et al 2010 ; Luo et al 2012 ).…”

Cellular Responses to Exposure to Outdoor Air from the Chinese Spring Festival at the Air–Liquid Interface

“…7,8 Studies in humans have also demonstrated moderately significant associations between the outdoor concentrations of PM 10 , SO 2 , and NO 2 and respiratory difficulties among asthmatic children and adolescents. 9 more cytotoxic and genotoxic than PM 2.5 in vitro. 10 Smaller PMs, which often have larger surface to volume ratio, may carry more toxins than larger particles, eventually having a greater health impact.…”

The impact of commercially available air purifiers on bronchial asthma and allergy symptoms

“…U dorosłych pacjentów z przewlekłą obturacyjną chorobą płuc lub astmą oskrzelową już krótkotrwała ekspozycja na PM2,5 może nasilać objawy ze strony układu oddechowego i zmniejszać szczytowy przepływ wydechowy (PEF) [50,51]. W zależności od zastosowanego modelu iloraz szans wystąpienia objawów ze strony układu odde-chowego wynosił 1,22-1,57 przy wzroście stężenia PM2,5 o 50 µg/m 3 .…”