Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, Dschang, P.O Box 67 Dschang, Cameroon.
Department of Epidemiology of Allergic and Respiratory Diseases (EPAR), IPLESP INSERM et Sorbonne Université, 15-21 Rue de l'École de Médecine, 75006 Paris, France.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jan 14;18(2):665. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18020665.
Urban air pollution, despite its dangerous health impact, is poorly studied in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA). Epidemiological data on this silent killer are almost non-existent for cities of Cameroon, which seems to be one of the sSA countries where populations are highly exposed to air pollutants. : The present study was conducted in Douala city, and aimed at determining the association of urban air quality degradation with respiratory and systemic health in active populations exposed to air pollutants on a daily basis. A cross-sectional study was conducted from 2017 to 2019 in 1182 active people consisting of motorbikes drivers (MD), outdoor urban workers (UW), and fuel station sellers (FSS). A standardized questionnaire was used to document participants' data. One hundred and twenty-six (126) motorbike drivers were selected to evaluate the relationship between haematological (white blood cells, platelets) and inflammatory (C-reactive protein-CRP) biomarkers, and air pollution; compared with those of a sixty-five (65) motorbike drivers' control group enrolled in Dschang, another town situated at about 216.3 km from Douala. : Among those recruited in urban Douala, some respiratory disorders such as running nostrils, colds, common fever, sore throats, dry cough, wheezing, chest pain, shortness of breath and systemic symptoms such as headaches, eye irritation, conjunctivitis, watery eyes and general tiredness were very common among MD, UW, and FSS. Regarding biological data, blood monocytes, lymphocytes and CRP were found to be significantly increased among selected MD in Douala, compared to control groups in Dschang. Conversely, a more significant decrease in blood neutrophil level was observed among MD in Douala than control groups in Dschang. These changes of haematological markers were significantly associated with place of residence, site of activity, and daily duration. : Our results suggest the risk of suffering from respiratory impairments and systemic symptoms with exposure to urban air pollution among active people working near highways in Douala.
城市空气污染对健康的危害虽然很大，但在撒哈拉以南非洲（sSA）地区的研究却很少。喀麦隆城市的这种隐形杀手的流行病学数据几乎不存在，喀麦隆似乎是 sSA 国家中人口高度暴露于空气污染物的国家之一。本研究在杜阿拉市进行，旨在确定城市空气质量下降与每天接触空气污染物的活跃人群的呼吸和全身健康之间的关联。这项横断面研究于 2017 年至 2019 年在 1182 名活跃人群中进行，其中包括摩托车司机（MD）、户外城市工人（UW）和燃料站销售人员（FSS）。使用标准化问卷记录参与者的数据。选择 126 名摩托车司机评估血液学（白细胞、血小板）和炎症（C 反应蛋白-CRP）生物标志物与空气污染之间的关系；并与来自另一个位于距杜阿拉约 216.3 公里的 Dschang 镇的 65 名摩托车司机对照组进行比较。在杜阿拉市招募的人员中，一些呼吸道疾病（如流鼻涕、感冒、普通发烧、喉咙痛、干咳、喘息、胸痛、呼吸急促和全身症状（如头痛、眼睛刺激、结膜炎、流泪和全身疲劳）在 MD、UW 和 FSS 中非常常见。关于生物数据，与 Dschang 对照组相比，在杜阿拉选择的 MD 中发现血液单核细胞、淋巴细胞和 CRP 显著增加。相反，在杜阿拉的 MD 中，血液中性粒细胞水平的下降更为显著。这些血液标志物的变化与居住地、活动地点和每天持续时间显著相关。我们的研究结果表明，在杜阿拉的高速公路附近工作的活跃人群中，由于接触城市空气污染，可能会有患呼吸道损伤和全身症状的风险。
