Imberti Luisa, Tiecco Giorgio, Logiudice Jacopo, Castelli Francesco, Quiros-Roldan Eugenia
Section of Microbiology University of Brescia Brescia Italy.
Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Unit of Infectious and Tropical Diseases University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia Brescia Italy.
Health Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 18;8(4):e70627. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.70627. eCollection 2025 Apr.
Human activities have greatly influenced global temperatures, leading to climate change and global warming. This narrative review aims to explore the relationship between climate change and the immune system, focusing on how environmental stressors can affect immune regulation, leading to both hyperactivity and suppression.
A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed studies published up to June 2024. The search terms included "climate change," "human health," "infection," "immunity," and "disease." Inclusion criteria were based on relevance, originality, and accessibility.
Exposure to elevated temperatures can significantly impair immune system cells, leading to an overproduction of signaling molecules that promote inflammation. Temperature fluctuations have been shown to influence various aspects of the adaptive immune response, including immune cell mobilization, antigen processing and presentation, lymphocyte trafficking and activation, and the functionality of B and T cells. Notably, some research suggests that heat stress negatively impacts B lymphocyte differentiation, replication, and proportion, resulting in decreased immunoglobulin and cytokine production, and contributing to immunosuppression. Additionally, climate change-related exposures can compromise epithelial barriers in the skin, lungs, and gut, leading to microbial dysbiosis, and immune dysregulation. Furthermore, environmental factors such as temperature variations, humidity, and air pollutant levels may exacerbate the prevalence of infectious diseases, including measles and HIV, with varying impacts on acute, chronic, and latent infections, further contributing to immune variability.
Climate change, particularly increased temperatures, significantly impacts immune system function, leading to both heightened inflammatory responses, and immunosuppression. Future research should focus on developing comprehensive and sustainable management strategies to enhance health resilience in the face of ongoing climatic changes.
人类活动对全球气温产生了巨大影响，导致气候变化和全球变暖。本叙述性综述旨在探讨气候变化与免疫系统之间的关系，重点关注环境应激源如何影响免疫调节，进而导致免疫功能亢进和抑制。
在PubMed和谷歌学术上对截至2024年6月发表的同行评审研究进行了全面检索。检索词包括“气候变化”“人类健康”“感染”“免疫”和“疾病”。纳入标准基于相关性、原创性和可获取性。
暴露于高温环境会显著损害免疫系统细胞，导致促进炎症的信号分子过度产生。温度波动已被证明会影响适应性免疫反应的各个方面，包括免疫细胞动员、抗原处理和呈递、淋巴细胞运输和激活以及B细胞和T细胞的功能。值得注意的是，一些研究表明热应激会对B淋巴细胞的分化、复制和比例产生负面影响，导致免疫球蛋白和细胞因子产生减少，从而导致免疫抑制。此外，与气候变化相关的暴露会破坏皮肤、肺部和肠道的上皮屏障，导致微生物群落失调和免疫失调。此外，温度变化、湿度和空气污染物水平等环境因素可能会加剧包括麻疹和艾滋病毒在内的传染病的流行，对急性、慢性和潜伏性感染产生不同影响，进一步导致免疫变异性。
气候变化，尤其是气温升高，会显著影响免疫系统功能，导致炎症反应增强和免疫抑制。未来的研究应侧重于制定全面和可持续的管理策略，以增强面对持续气候变化时的健康恢复力。
