Associations between air pollution and pediatric eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma A meta-analysis of European birth cohorts

Elaine Fuertes (1, 2) , Jordi Sunyer (1, 3, 4) , Ulrike Gehring (5) , Daniela Porta (6) , Francesco Forastiere (6) , Giulia Cesaroni (6) , Martine Vrijheid (1) , Mònica Guxens (3, 7, 4, 1) , Isabella Annesi-Maesano (8) , Rémy Slama (9) , Dieter Maier (10) , Manolis Kogevinas (3) , Jean Bousquet (11, 12) , Leda Chatzi (13) , Aitana Lertxundi (14) , Mikel Basterrechea (15) , Ana Esplugues (15) , Amparo Ferrero (3) , John Wright , Dan Mason , Rosie Mceachan , Judith Garcia-Aymerich (16) , Bénédicte Jacquemin (17, 18, 19)

1 ISGlobal - Instituto de Salud Global - Institute For Global Health [Barcelona]
2 NHLI - National Heart and Lung Institute [London]
3 CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP)
4 UPF - Universitat Pompeu Fabra [Barcelona]
5 Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences
6 Lazio Regional Health Service [Rome]
7 Erasmus MC - Erasmus University Medical Center [Rotterdam]
8 iPLESP - Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique
9 IAB - Institute for Advanced Biosciences / Institut pour l'Avancée des Biosciences (Grenoble)
10 Biomax Informatics AG
11 INSERM - Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale
12 Hôpital Arnaud de Villeneuve [CHRU Montpellier]
13 UOC - University of Crete [Heraklion]
14 UPV/EHU - University of the Basque Country/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
15 CIBER-BBN - Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina
16 ISGlobal
17 VIMA - Vieillissement et Maladies chroniques : approches épidémiologique et de santé publique
18 EHESP - École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique [EHESP]
19 Irset - Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail

Background - Uncertainly continues to exist regarding the role of air pollution on pediatric asthma and allergic conditions, especially as air pollution levels have started to decrease in recent decades. Objective - We examined associations of long-term air pollution levels at the home address with pediatric eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma prevalences in five birth cohorts (BIB, EDEN, GASPII, RHEA and INMA) from seven areas in five European countries.Methods - Current eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma were assessed in children aged four (N = 6527) and eight years (N = 2489). A multi-morbidity outcome (≥2 conditions versus none) was also defined. Individual outdoor levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO), nitrogen oxides, mass of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm (PM), 10-2.5 μm (PM) and <2.5 μm (PM), and PM absorbance were assigned to the birth, four- and eight-year home addresses using highly defined spatial air pollution exposure models. Cohort-specific cross-sectional associations were assessed using logistic regression models adjusted for demographic and environmental covariates and combined in a random effects meta-analysis.Results - The overall prevalence of pediatric eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma at four years was 15.4%, 5.9% and 12.4%. We found no increase in the prevalence of these outcomes at four or eight years with increasing air pollution exposure. For example, the meta-analysis adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma at four years were 0.94 (0.81, 1.09), 0.90 (0.75, 1.09), and 0.91 (0.74, 1.11), respectively, per 10 μg/m increase in NO at the birth address, and 1.00 (0.81, 1.23), 0.70 (0.49, 1.00) and 0.88 (0.54, 1.45), respectively, per 5 μg/m increase in PM at the birth address.Discussion - In this large meta-analysis of five birth cohorts, we found no indication of adverse effects of long-term air pollution exposure on the prevalence of current pediatric eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis or asthma.

Keywords: Asthma; Air pollution; Birth cohort; Pediatric; Eczema; Rhinoconjunctivitis

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]; Ecology, environment; Health; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Santé publique et épidémiologie; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Immunology; Allergology; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Human health and pathology; Pediatrics; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Human health and pathology; Pulmonology and respiratory tract

Elaine Fuertes, Jordi Sunyer, Ulrike Gehring, Daniela Porta, Francesco Forastiere, et al.. Associations between air pollution and pediatric eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma A meta-analysis of European birth cohorts. Environment International, 2020, 136, pp.105474. ⟨10.1016/j.envint.2020.105474⟩. ⟨hal-02470888⟩