by According to a new study, air pollution is more likely to trigger asthma attacks in urban children and teenagers. The study, published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal, found that even moderate levels of ozone and fine airborne particulates, which are ingredients of smog, increase the risk of asthma attacks in kids. The findings further support the evidence that reducing air pollution could improve human health, particularly in impoverished urban communities where children are at a higher risk of asthma attacks.
Dr. Hugh Auchincloss, the acting director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), emphasized the strong association this study demonstrates between specific air pollutants and non-viral asthma attacks among children in low-income urban areas. This study is one of the first to link elevated levels of distinct air pollutants in specific urban locations to the risk of asthma attacks.
During an asthma attack, inflammation leads to the swelling of the airways, causing the muscles around them to contract and resulting in the flooding of mucus. This narrows the space through which air can pass in and out of the lungs.
The researchers highlighted that children in low-income urban areas in the United States are particularly vulnerable to asthma attacks. The study involved 208 children aged six to 17 who had a history of asthma attacks and lived in low-income neighborhoods in nine different U.S. cities. The findings were later validated in a second group of 189 individuals aged six to 20 living in low-income areas of four U.S. cities. The researchers tracked daily air quality and compared it to reports of asthma attacks in these urban children. They also made sure that the children were not suffering from respiratory viruses that could promote asthma.
The study revealed that pollution, rather than viruses, caused asthma attacks in nearly 30% of the children—two to three times the proportion seen in children living outside of urban areas. The attacks were specifically linked to locally elevated levels of fine particulates and ozone in outdoor air.
By analyzing nasal cell samples obtained from the children, the researchers discovered that elevated levels of the pollutants affected the expression of genes involved in airway inflammation. These results could potentially lead to the development of treatments that counteract the harmful effects of air pollution on human airways.
The findings also suggest that individuals with asthma may benefit from using personal air quality monitors, which could warn them about conditions that contribute to asthma attacks. Being aware of the air quality around them could help them take necessary precautions and prevent potential asthma triggers.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
