Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore.
Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2024 Aug;35(8):e14216. doi: 10.1111/pai.14216.
Allergic diseases such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, and food allergies are a burgeoning health challenge in the Asia-Pacific region. Compounding this, the region has become increasingly susceptible to the impacts of climate change. The region has weathered extreme precipitation, intense heat waves, and dust storms over the recent decades. While the effects of environmental and genetic factors on allergic diseases are well understood, prevailing gaps in understanding the complex interactions between climate change and these factors remain. We aim to provide insights into the various pathways by which climate change influences allergic diseases in the Asia-Pacific population. We outline practical steps that allergists can take to reduce the carbon footprint of their practice on both a systemic and patient-specific level. We recommend that allergists optimize disease control to reduce the resources required for each patient's care, which contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We encourage the responsible prescription of metered dose inhalers by promoting the switch to dry powder inhalers for certain patients, at each clinician's discretion. We also recommend the utilization of virtual consultations to reduce patient travel while ensuring that evidence-based guidelines for rational allergy management are closely adhered to. Finally, eliminating unnecessary testing and medications will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions in many areas of medical care.
在亚太地区，过敏疾病（如哮喘、特应性皮炎和食物过敏）正成为一个日益严峻的健康挑战。此外，该地区越来越容易受到气候变化的影响。在过去几十年中，该地区经历了极端降水、强烈热浪和沙尘暴等极端天气。尽管环境和遗传因素对过敏疾病的影响已得到充分了解，但对气候变化与这些因素之间复杂相互作用的理解仍存在差距。我们旨在深入了解气候变化影响亚太地区人群过敏疾病的各种途径。我们概述了过敏专家可以采取的实际步骤，以减少他们在系统和患者特定层面上实践的碳足迹。我们建议过敏专家优化疾病控制，以减少每位患者护理所需的资源，从而有助于减少温室气体排放。我们鼓励在每个临床医生的酌情下，通过促进向某些患者转用干粉吸入器来合理处方计量吸入器。我们还建议利用虚拟咨询来减少患者旅行，同时确保严格遵循合理过敏管理的循证指南。最后，消除不必要的检测和药物也将减少许多医疗保健领域的温室气体排放。
