Selected studies on air pollution and AR
| Author | Year | Study design | Location | Population | Pollutant | Outcomes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosario Filho et al. [15] | 2021 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | Latin America | 22 observational studies | PM2.5 PM10, NO2, O3 | Associations between air pollutant exposure and AR in Latin American countries (OR [95% CI]) | The OR for developing AR in exposed individuals was 1.43 [1.026, 1.980]. Among children and adolescents, the OR was 1.36 [1.051, 1.759]. |
| Wang et al. [14] | 2021 | Cross-sectional study | China | 40,279 young adults | PM10, NO2 | Associations between in-home exposures and AR (OR [95% CI]) | Key risk factors associated with AR were as follows: - High levels of urbanization, with lower odds in suburban areas (0.57 [0.50, 0.65])- Elevated NO2 concentrations (1.17 [1.06, 1.3])- Proximity to heavy traffic (1.36 [1.22, 1.51])- Home redecoration (1.16 [1.01, 1.34])- Buying new furniture (1.19 [1.07, 1.32])- Use of specific cooking fuels; natural gas (1.34 [1.13, 1.58]); coal/wood (1.35 [1.07, 1.69]) |
| Savouré et al. [19] | 2021 | Cross-sectional study | France | 127,108 adults | PM2.5, BC, NO2 | Associations between long-term exposure to air pollutants and self-reported rhinitis (OR [95% CI]) | Associations between long-term pollutant exposure and self-reported rhinitis were shown.Current rhinitis:- PM2.5 (1.13 [1.08, 1.17])- BC (1.12 [1.07, 1.17])- NO2 (1.11 [1.06, 1.17])AR:- PM2.5 (1.15 [1.09, 1.21])- BC (1.15 [1.09, 1.21])- NO2 (1.13 [1.08, 1.19])NAR:- PM2.5 (1.13 [1.10, 1.17])- BC (1.09 [1.04, 1.14])- NO2 (1.11 [1.06, 1.16]) |
| Li et al. [13] | 2022 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | 12 countries (Asia, Europe, America) | 35 observational studies | PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, O3, CO | Associations between air pollutant exposure and AR (OR [95% CI]) | The OR for associations between air pollutants and AR were as follows:- PM2.5 (1.12 [1.05, 1.20])- PM10 (1.13 [1.04, 1.22])- NO2 (1.13 [1.07, 1.20])- SO2 (1.13 [1.04, 1.22])- O3 (1.07 [1.01, 1.12])No significant association was observed between CO and AR. |
| Carlsen et al. [20] | 2022 | Cohort study | Sweden | 37 adults | PM2.5, NOx, O3, birch pollen | Associations between AR and co-exposure to air pollutants and birch pollen (OR [95% CI]) | PM2.5 exposure was associated with rhinitis or eye irritation and increased allergy medication usage during the birch pollen season in the multi-exposure model:- Rhinitis or eye irritation (1.16 [1.02, 1.32])- Allergy medication usage (1.25 [1.07, 1.46])NOx and O3 did not show an effect on rhinitis or eye irritation.Exposure to NOx was associated with significantly reduced OR for allergy medication usage in multi-exposure models (0.74 [0.59, 0.92]). |
| Lu et al. [64] | 2023 | Systematic review | 3 countries (China, Canada, and Germany) | 8 observational studies | PM2.5, PM10, NO2, BC, CO, O3 | Associations between prenatal and early-life exposure to TRAP and AR in children | All studies showed a positive association between exposure to TRAP during pregnancy and the first year of life and the development of AR in children. |
| Luo et al. [17] | 2023 | Cohort study | UK Biobank | 379,488 adults | PM2.5, PM coarse, PM10, NO2, NOx | Associations between long-term exposure to air pollutants and the risk of AR (OR [95% CI]) | Significant associations were observed between the risk of AR and various pollutants:- PM2.5 (1.51 [1.27,1.79])- PM coarse (1.28 [1.06,1.55])- PM10 (1.45 [1.20, 1.74])- NO2 (1.14 [1.09, 1.19])- NOx (1.10 [1.05, 1.15]) |
| Maio et al. [18] | 2023 | Cohort study | Italy | 14,420 adults | PM2.5, PM10, NO2, O3 | Associations between long-term exposure to air pollutants and AR | Association between long-term exposure to air pollutants and AR (combined condition: prevalence of AR, symptoms, use of medicines):- PM2.5 (1.17 [1.06, 1.30])- PM10 (1.16 [1.06, 1.26])- NO2 (1.07 [1.04, 1.10])- O3 (0.99 [0.87–1.13]) (not significant) |
| Li et al. [21] | 2023 | Cohort study | China | 49 adults | PM2.5 and its constituents | Associations between short-term exposure to PM2.5 and its constituents and oxidative stress markers, symptoms, and quality of life in AR | Exposure to PM2.5 and its constituents was associated with elevated scores on VAS and RQLQ. Increased levels of nasal oxidative stress markers were observed, including elevated MDA and reduced SOD levels. |
| Li et al. [22] | 2024 | Cohort study | China | 49 adults | PM2.5, NO2, SO2, O3 | Associations between short-term exposure to air pollutants and oxidative stress markers, symptoms, and quality of life in AR | An association was observed between exposure to the air pollutant mixture and rhinitis symptom scale scores. No significant associations were found with VAS or RQLQ.Increased levels of nasal oxidative stress markers were observed, including elevated MDA and reduced SOD levels. |
PM2.5: particulate matter (PM) with diameter ≤ 2.5 μm; PM10: PM with diameter ≤ 10 μm; NO2: nitrogen dioxide; NOx: nitrogen oxides; BC: black carbon; SO2: sulfur dioxide; O3: ozone; CO: carbon monoxide; AR: allergic rhinitis; NAR: non-AR; OR: odd ratio; TRAP: traffic-related air pollution; VAS: visual analog scale; RQLQ: rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire; MDA: malondialdehyde; SOD: superoxide dismutase