Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technology, University of Salento, via Monteroni 165, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
Local Health Authority ASL Le, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jan 29;18(3):1204. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18031204.
The number of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has rapidly increased globally. Genetic and environmental factors both contribute to the development of ASD. Several studies showed linkage between prenatal, early postnatal air pollution exposure and the risk of developing ASD. We reviewed the available literature concerning the relationship between early-life exposure to air pollutants and ASD onset in childhood. We searched on Medline and Scopus for cohort or case-control studies published in English from 1977 to 2020. A total of 20 articles were selected for the review. We found a strong association between maternal exposure to particulate matter (PM) during pregnancy or in the first years of the children's life and the risk of the ASD. This association was found to be stronger with PM and less evident with the other pollutants. Current evidence suggest that pregnancy is the period in which exposure to environmental pollutants seems to be most impactful concerning the onset of ASD in children. Air pollution should be considered among the emerging risk factors for ASD. Further epidemiological and toxicological studies should address molecular pathways involved in the development of ASD and determine specific cause-effect associations.
全球被诊断患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的儿童数量迅速增加。遗传和环境因素都促成了 ASD 的发展。几项研究表明，产前和产后早期空气污染暴露与 ASD 发病风险之间存在关联。我们回顾了有关儿童时期早期生活暴露于空气污染物与 ASD 发病之间关系的现有文献。我们在 Medline 和 Scopus 上搜索了 1977 年至 2020 年发表的英文队列或病例对照研究。共有 20 篇文章被选入综述。我们发现母亲在怀孕期间或孩子生命的头几年暴露于颗粒物（PM）与 ASD 风险之间存在很强的关联。这种关联在 PM 中更为明显，而在其他污染物中则不太明显。目前的证据表明，怀孕期间暴露于环境污染物似乎对儿童 ASD 的发病影响最大。空气污染应被视为 ASD 的新兴危险因素之一。进一步的流行病学和毒理学研究应针对涉及 ASD 发展的分子途径，并确定特定的因果关联。
