title: Recent advances in the epidemiologic investigation of risk factors for asthma: a review of the 2011 literature.
abstract: The present review aims to identify and summarize epidemiologic investigations published during 2011 on the environmental risk factors for asthma. Potentially eligible papers were identified by a MEDLINE search. In total, 1,130 items were retrieved. Based on a broad definition of environment, the following topics were included: obesity, diet, vitamin D, air pollution, farming environment, and social factors. Some of the more relevant contributions included evidence that 1) obesity precedes asthma, 2) fruit consumption is longitudinally associated with a lower risk of asthma and atopy, 3) a comprehensive statewide smoking ban was followed by a reduction in hospital admissions for asthma, 4) asthma is one of the diseases showing the largest burdens due to environmental tobacco smoke, 5) traffic-related urban air pollution is associated with bronchial inflammation as measured by fractional exhaled nitric oxide and uncontrolled asthma, 6) aeroallergens and desert dust may contribute to the short-term effects of air pollution and asthma, and 7) maternal exposure to air pollution before and during pregnancy may alter the immune competence in offspring.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Spain. jmanto@creal.cat
authors.forename: Josep M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Antó
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000383:Agriculture; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects; D001249:Asthma / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D004032:Diet; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D014807:Vitamin D