Background: Compared to many environmental risk factors, the relationship between pollen and asthma is understudied, including how associations may differ by pollen type and between subgroups, and how associations may be changing over time.
Objectives: We evaluated the association between ambient pollen concentrations and emergency department (ED) visits for asthma and wheeze in Atlanta, Georgia during 1993-2018. We estimated overall associations for 13 individual pollen taxa, as well as associations by decade, race, age (5-17, 18-64, 65+), and insurance status (Medicaid vs non-Medicaid).
Methods: Speciated pollen data were acquired from Atlanta Allergy & Asthma, a nationally certified pollen counting station. ED visit data were obtained from individual hospitals and from the Georgia Hospital Association. We performed time-series analyses using quasi-Poisson distributed lag models, with primary analyses assessing 3-day (lag 0-2 days) pollen levels. Models controlled for day of week, holidays, air temperature, month, year, and month-by-year interactions.
Results: From 1993 to 2018, there were 686,259 ED visits for asthma and wheeze in the dataset, and the number of ED visits increased over time. We observed positive associations of asthma and wheeze ED visits with nine of the 13 pollen taxa: trees (maple, birch, pine, oak, willow, sycamore, and mulberry), two weeds (nettle and pigweed), and grasses. Rate ratios indicated 1-8% increases in asthma and wheeze ED visits per standard deviation increases in pollen. In general, we observed stronger associations in the earliest period (1993-2000), in younger people, and in Black patients; however, results varied by pollen taxa.
Conclusions: Some, but not all, types of pollen are associated with increased ED visits for asthma/wheeze. Associations are generally higher in Black and younger patients and appear to have decreased over time.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10600739 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.107998 | DOI Listing |
Environ Res
December 2024
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address:
Introduction: Throughout the perinatal period children are exposed to complex mixtures, including indoor chemicals such as phthalates, and biological agents. However, few studies focus on interactions between early-life co-exposures to shed light on how co-exposures modify their individual effects. Therefore, our study aims to assess whether early-life exposure to pets and related biological agents, namely pet allergens and endotoxin, modifies the association between di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and asthma and wheeze in preschoolers to gain insight into interactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRespir Med
December 2024
School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Background: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease and a leading cause of disability, posing a huge economic and social burden. Plant-based antioxidants have the potential to block proinflammatory pathways and protect against oxidative damage, which could improve asthma management.
Objective: This review examines the role of plant-based antioxidants as adjuvant therapy on inflammatory markers and clinical outcomes of adults with asthma.
Eur J Pediatr
December 2024
Krefting Research Centre, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Box 424, 405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Unlabelled: Atopic dermatitis, food allergy, allergic rhinitis, and asthma are among the most common diseases in childhood. They are heterogeneous diseases, can co-exist in their development, and manifest complex associations with other disorders and environmental and hereditary factors. Elucidating these intricacies by identifying clinically distinguishable groups and actionable risk factors will allow for better understanding of the diseases, which will enhance clinical management and benefit society and affected individuals and families.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMinerva Pediatr (Torino)
December 2024
CINTESIS@RISE, MEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal -
Background: Lung auscultation using a smartphone built-in microphone is promising for home monitoring of pediatric respiratory diseases. Our aim was to compare respiratory sounds recorded by a smartphone and a digital stethoscope by assessing the proportion of quality recordings and adventitious sounds detected by each device.
Methods: A comparative early feasibility study with children from a public school in Northern Portugal was conducted.
Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi
November 2024
Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing 100053, China.
Yuebi Plus Banxia Decoction is derived from the Synopsis of the Golden Chamber(Jin Gui Yao Lue) by ZHANG Zhong-jing. With the effects of ventilating lung, discharging heat, descending adverse Qi, and relieving cough and asthma, this prescription is mainly used to treat pulmonary distension caused by phlegm heat obstructing the lungs. Currently, it is commonly used in clinical practice for the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchial asthma, pulmonary heart disease, and pertussis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!