D'Amato G, Cecchi L
Division of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Department of Chest Diseases, High Speciality Hospital A.Cardarelli, Napoli, Italy.
Clin Exp Allergy. 2008 Aug;38(8):1264-74. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2008.03033.x. Epub 2008 Jun 4.
A body of evidence suggests that major changes involving the atmosphere and the climate, including global warming induced by human activity, have an impact on the biosphere and the human environment. Studies on the effects of climate change on respiratory allergy are still lacking and current knowledge is provided by epidemiological and experimental studies on the relationship between asthma and environmental factors, such as meteorological variables, airborne allergens and air pollution. However, there is also considerable evidence that subjects affected by asthma are at an increased risk of developing obstructive airway exacerbations with exposure to gaseous and particulate components of air pollution. It is not easy to evaluate the impact of climate change and air pollution on the prevalence of asthma in general and on the timing of asthma exacerbations. However, the global rise in asthma prevalence and severity suggests that air pollution and climate changes could be contributing. Pollen allergy is frequently used to study the interrelationship between air pollution, rhinitis and bronchial asthma. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that urbanization, high levels of vehicle emissions and westernized lifestyle are correlated to an increase in the frequency of pollen-induced respiratory allergy, prevalent in people who live in urban areas compared with those who live in rural areas. Meteorological factors (temperature, wind speed, humidity, etc.) along with their climatological regimes (warm or cold anomalies and dry or wet periods, etc.), can affect both biological and chemical components of this interaction. In addition, by inducing airway inflammation, air pollution overcomes the mucosal barrier priming allergen-induced responses. In conclusion, climate change might induce negative effects on respiratory allergic diseases. In particular, the increased length and severity of the pollen season, the higher occurrence of heavy precipitation events and the increasing frequency of urban air pollution episodes suggest that environmental risk factors will have a stronger effect in the following decades.
大量证据表明，涉及大气和气候的重大变化，包括人类活动引起的全球变暖，对生物圈和人类环境产生影响。关于气候变化对呼吸道过敏影响的研究仍然不足，目前的知识来自于哮喘与环境因素（如气象变量、空气传播过敏原和空气污染）之间关系的流行病学和实验研究。然而，也有大量证据表明，哮喘患者在接触空气污染的气态和颗粒成分时，发生阻塞性气道加重的风险增加。评估气候变化和空气污染对哮喘总体患病率以及哮喘加重时间的影响并不容易。然而，全球哮喘患病率和严重程度的上升表明，空气污染和气候变化可能起到了一定作用。花粉过敏常被用于研究空气污染、鼻炎和支气管哮喘之间的相互关系。流行病学研究表明，城市化、高水平的车辆排放和西化的生活方式与花粉诱发的呼吸道过敏频率增加相关，与农村地区居民相比，城市地区居民中这种过敏更为普遍。气象因素（温度、风速、湿度等）及其气候模式（暖或冷异常以及干或湿时期等）会影响这种相互作用的生物和化学成分。此外，空气污染通过引发气道炎症，突破黏膜屏障引发过敏原诱导的反应。总之，气候变化可能会对呼吸道过敏性疾病产生负面影响。特别是，花粉季节的长度和严重程度增加、暴雨事件的发生率更高以及城市空气污染事件的频率增加，表明环境风险因素在未来几十年将产生更强的影响。
