Pisithkul Tipanan, Pisithkul Tippapha, Lao-Araya Mongkol
Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
Program in Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Maejo University, Chiang Mai 50290, Thailand.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Apr 8;21(4):452. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21040452.
Global awareness of ambient air pollution has heightened due to its detrimental impact on health, particularly in regions with elevated PM levels. Chiang Mai has emerged as an area experiencing the highest PM levels in Thailand.
to examine the prevalence of respiratory allergies and assess the impact of air pollution on the health-related quality of life (QoL) among university students in Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai University (CMU) and Maejo University (MJU) students were recruited. The Global Asthma Network (GAN) questionnaire screened for respiratory allergies (RAs). The disease-specific QoL questionnaire (Rcq-36) was administered twice during low-PM and high-PM seasons to evaluate air pollution's impact on health-related QoL. Those showing potential RAs underwent a skin prick test (SPT) to investigate allergic sensitization.
Out of 406 participants, 131 (32%) reported respiratory allergies. Among those undergoing SPT, a high rate (82.54%) had positive results. Across both universities, students reported significantly lower QoL in multiple domains, particularly respiratory, eye, sleep, and emotional well-being, during the high-PM season. This aligned with their poorer self-reported health on a visual analog scale (VAS; -value < 0.01). PM levels significantly impacted social functioning for CMU students (-value = 0.001) and role limitations for MJU students (-value < 0.001). Notably, participants without respiratory allergies (non-RAs) were more significantly affected by PM than RA participants in almost all parameters, despite experiencing fewer baseline symptoms.
Respiratory allergies, particularly allergic rhinitis, are prevalent among university students in Chiang Mai. This study underscores the substantial negative impact of ambient air pollution on QoL for both allergic and non-allergic students.
由于环境空气污染对健康有不利影响，全球对其的关注度有所提高，尤其是在细颗粒物（PM）水平较高的地区。清迈已成为泰国PM水平最高的地区。
研究清迈大学生呼吸道过敏的患病率，并评估空气污染对其健康相关生活质量（QoL）的影响。
招募了清迈大学（CMU）和 Maejo大学（MJU）的学生。使用全球哮喘网络（GAN）问卷筛查呼吸道过敏（RA）。在低PM季节和高PM季节分别进行两次特定疾病的生活质量问卷（Rcq-36）调查，以评估空气污染对健康相关生活质量的影响。对显示有潜在RA的学生进行皮肤点刺试验（SPT），以调查过敏致敏情况。
在406名参与者中，131人（32%）报告有呼吸道过敏。在接受SPT的学生中，高比例（82.54%）结果呈阳性。在两所大学中，学生们报告在高PM季节多个领域的生活质量显著较低，尤其是呼吸、眼睛、睡眠和情绪健康方面。这与他们在视觉模拟量表（VAS）上自我报告的较差健康状况一致（P值<0.01）。PM水平对CMU学生的社会功能有显著影响（P值 = 0.001），对MJU学生的角色限制有显著影响（P值<0.001）。值得注意的是，尽管没有呼吸道过敏（非RA）的参与者基线症状较少，但在几乎所有参数方面，他们比RA参与者受PM的影响更大。
呼吸道过敏，尤其是过敏性鼻炎，在清迈大学生中很普遍。本研究强调了环境空气污染对过敏和非过敏学生的生活质量均有重大负面影响。
