Impact of temperature variability on childhood allergic rhinitis in a subtropical city of China

Abstract

Background Many studies have shown an association of childhood respiratory diseases with short-term temperature variability such as diurnal temperature range (DTR) and temperature change between two neighboring days (TCN). However, the impact of temperature variability on allergic rhinitis (AR) has not been investigated so far. This study sought to evaluate the short-term effect of temperature variability (i.e., TCN and DTR) on AR, as well as to identify vulnerable subpopulations. Method We collected daily data on emergency room visits and outpatients for AR and weather variables in Hefei, China during 2014–2016. A distributed lag non-linear model that controlled for long-term trend and seasonality, mean temperature, relative humidity, day of week was used to fit the associations of AR with DTR and TCN. Stratified analyses by age, sex and occupation were also performed. Results During the study period, there were a total of 53,538 cases and the average values of DTR and TCN were 8.4 °C (range: 1.0 °C to 21.2 °C) and 0 °C (range: − 12.2 °C to 5.9 °C), respectively. While we did not observe an adverse effect of DTR on AR, TCN was significantly associated with increased risk of AR. Specifically, a large temperature drop between two adjacent days (3.8 °C, 5th percentile of TCN) has a delayed and short-lasting effect on AR, with the estimated relative risk of 1.02 (95% confidence interval: 1.01 to 1.04) at lag 12. Moreover, boys and children older than 15 years seemed to be more vulnerable to the effect of TCN. Conclusions This study provided evidence of an adverse effect of large temperature drops between two adjacent days on childhood AR. Attention paid to boys and older children may help prevent AR attacks.

The effect of fine particulate matter exposure on allergic rhinitis of adolescents aged 10–13 years: A cross-sectional study from Chongqing, China

“…The results of this study showed that the risk of AR incidence elevated with the increase in air temperature in spring. However, another study provided evidence of a negative effect of abrupt temperature drops between two adjacent days on childhood AR ( 40 ). Further investigations to compare the effects of climate change on AR in different seasons might be needed.…”

Decoding the role of loratadine in optimally managing and in alleviating the burden of allergic rhinitis

“…1 Almost 600 million suffer from allergic rhinitis globally. 2 It is estimated that nearly 150 million are patients of allergic rhinitis in the Asia-Pacific region. 3 Reported incidence of allergic rhinitis in India ranges between 20% and 30%.…”

Association of temperature variability with the risk of initial outpatient visits for allergic rhinitis: a time-series study in Changchun

“…Risk factors for AR mainly include genetic factors (Kim et al 2012) and environmental factors, such as meteorological factors (Gao et al 2021;Hu et al 2020;Kim et al 2018), air pollution (Hu et al 2020;Lin et al 2021), and indoor allergens (Kim et al 2012). Recently more attention has been paid to the impacts of temperature in the process of AR (Carreras et al 2015;Gao et al 2021;Kim et al 2018;Wang et al 2020).…”

“…In a study of Xinxiang, China, Gao et al have observed greater risks of AR outpatients when mean temperature rose to 1.6-9.3 ˚C at a lag of 0-7 days and 23.5-28.5 ˚C at a lag of 0-3 days (Gao et al 2021). In addition to temperature range and mean temperature, two another temperature indices, interday variability (e.g., temperature variation between neighboring days) and intraday variability (e.g., diurnal temperature range (DTR)) have been assessed to examine the associations of short-term unstable weather with respiratory outcomes (Lim et al 2012;Wang et al 2020). For instance, Lim et al have reported a positive association between DTR and respiratory hospital admissions in Korea (Lim et al 2012).…”

“…For instance, Lim et al have reported a positive association between DTR and respiratory hospital admissions in Korea (Lim et al 2012). Wang et al have observed significant association of temperature variation between two neighboring days with increased risk of AR in Hefei, China (Wang et al 2020). Some plausible explanations have been postulated to support the effect of temperature change on respiratory health.…”