title: Influence of Asian Desert Dust on Lower Respiratory Tract Symptoms in Patients with Asthma over 4 Years.
abstract: The Asian Dust Storm (ADS) aggravates symptoms and pulmonary dysfunction in adult asthma patients. Our objective was to investigate the association of air pollutants and metals in desert dust with worsening of asthma symptoms during the ADS. A telephone survey was performed to investigate the upper and lower respiratory tract symptoms, ocular symptoms and skin symptoms of asthma patients during the ADS in March between 2007 and 2010. Four surveys were conducted in 46 patients. Two patients noted worsening of lower respiratory tract symptoms in all four surveys, as well as 2 patients in three surveys, 7 patients in two surveys, and 9 patients in one survey. There was no worsening of lower respiratory tract symptoms in 26 patients. In each patient, the influence of the ADS on lower respiratory tract symptoms varied between surveys. In 2010, the level of suspended particulate matter was highest in all four years, but the smallest number of patients noted worsening of lower respiratory tract symptoms. Among pollutants, only the maximum concentration of nitrogen dioxide during the ADS was significantly associated with the worsening of lower respiratory tract symptoms. The influence of the ADS on lower respiratory tract symptoms of adult asthma patients is variable.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology and Molecular Respirology, Department of Multidisciplinary Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago 683-8054, Japan.
authors.forename: Masanari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kurai
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Igishi
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Burioka
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: Takanori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sako
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Touge
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamoto
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chikumi
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Chie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minato
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Horasaki
authors.forename: Tetsushi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shimizu
keywords: Asian Dust Storm; air pollution; asthma; lower respiratory tract symptom; telephone survey
references.citation: Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2004;17(3):361-8
references.pmid: 15683157
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2003 Jun;111(6):1171-83; quiz 1184
references.pmid: 12789212
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2003 Aug;112(2):283-8
references.pmid: 12897733
references.citation: Lancet. 1994 Dec 17;344(8938):1668-71
references.pmid: 7996960
references.citation: J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2006 Aug;69(16):1571-85
references.pmid: 16854786
references.citation: Sci Total Environ. 2010 Jan 15;408(4):754-9
references.pmid: 19939437
references.citation: Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2011 Jan-Mar;24(1 Suppl):31S-38S
references.pmid: 21329563
references.citation: Acta Otolaryngol. 1951 Aug;39(4):286-90
references.pmid: 14868477
references.citation: Allergol Int. 2011 Mar;60(2):115-45
references.pmid: 21636963
references.citation: Environ Res. 2005 Nov;99(3):361-8
references.pmid: 16307978
references.citation: J Occup Health. 2003 Jan;45(1):23-30
references.pmid: 14605425
references.citation: J Korean Med Sci. 2008 Feb;23(1):66-71
references.pmid: 18303201
references.citation: Environ Res. 2004 May;95(1):71-6
references.pmid: 15068932
references.citation: Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2010 Dec 15;182(12):1475-81
references.pmid: 20656941
references.citation: Science. 1980 Sep 26;209(4464):1522-4
references.pmid: 17745962
references.citation: Environ Res. 2002 Sep;90(1):1-5
references.pmid: 12359184
references.citation: Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1997 Dec;156(6):1725-30
references.pmid: 9412547
references.citation: Allergol Int. 2011 Dec;60(4):517-24
references.pmid: 22113159
references.citation: Allergol Int. 2011 Sep;60(3):267-75
references.pmid: 21364309
references.citation: Environ Health Perspect. 2009 Apr;117(4):668-74
references.pmid: 19440509
references.citation: Environ Health Perspect. 2002 Feb;110(2):A80-7
references.pmid: 11836156
references.citation: Environ Health Perspect. 2010 Oct;118(10):1497-502
references.pmid: 20570778
references.citation: Environ Health Perspect. 2003 Sep;111(12):1471-7
references.pmid: 12948886
references.citation: Arch Toxicol. 1997;71(12):725-9
references.pmid: 9388004
references.citation: Environ Health Prev Med. 2010 Nov;15(6):350-7
references.pmid: 21432566