Shea Katherine M, Truckner Robert T, Weber Richard W, Peden David B
Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1105, USA.
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008 Sep;122(3):443-53; quiz 454-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2008.06.032.
Climate change is potentially the largest global threat to human health ever encountered. The earth is warming, the warming is accelerating, and human actions are largely responsible. If current emissions and land use trends continue unchecked, the next generations will face more injury, disease, and death related to natural disasters and heat waves, higher rates of climate-related infections, and wide-spread malnutrition, as well as more allergic and air pollution-related morbidity and mortality. This review highlights links between global climate change and anticipated increases in prevalence and severity of asthma and related allergic disease mediated through worsening ambient air pollution and altered local and regional pollen production. The pattern of change will vary regionally depending on latitude, altitude, rainfall and storms, land-use patterns, urbanization, transportation, and energy production. The magnitude of climate change and related increases in allergic disease will be affected by how aggressively greenhouse gas mitigation strategies are pursued, but at best an average warming of 1 to 2 degrees C is certain this century. Thus, anticipation of a higher allergic disease burden will affect clinical practice as well as public health planning. A number of practical primary and secondary prevention strategies are suggested at the end of the review to assist in meeting this unprecedented public health challenge.
气候变化可能是人类健康有史以来面临的最大全球威胁。地球正在变暖，且变暖速度正在加快，而这在很大程度上是人类活动所致。如果当前的排放和土地利用趋势继续不受控制，下一代将面临更多与自然灾害和热浪相关的伤害、疾病和死亡，与气候相关的感染率更高，营养不良现象广泛存在，以及更多与过敏和空气污染相关的发病和死亡情况。本综述强调了全球气候变化与预期中哮喘及相关过敏性疾病患病率和严重程度增加之间的联系，这种联系是通过环境空气污染恶化以及当地和区域花粉产量变化介导的。变化模式将因地区而异，具体取决于纬度、海拔、降雨和风暴、土地利用模式、城市化、交通和能源生产情况。气候变化的幅度以及过敏性疾病相关的增加情况将受到温室气体减排策略实施力度的影响，但本世纪至少肯定会平均升温一到两摄氏度。因此，预计过敏性疾病负担加重将影响临床实践以及公共卫生规划。综述结尾处提出了一些切实可行的一级和二级预防策略，以帮助应对这一前所未有的公共卫生挑战。
