title: Impact of air pollution on respiratory diseases in children with recurrent wheezing or asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Air pollution has many negative health effects on the general population, especially children, subjects with underlying chronic disease and the elderly. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of traffic-related pollution on the exacerbation of asthma and development of respiratory infections in Italian children suffering from asthma or wheezing compared with healthy subjects and to estimate the association between incremental increases in principal pollutants and the incidence of respiratory symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective study enrolled 777 children aged 2 to 18 years (375 with recurrent wheezing or asthma and 402 healthy subjects). Over 12 months, parents filled out a daily clinical diary to report information about respiratory symptoms, type of medication used and healthcare utilization. Clinical data were combined with the results obtained using an air pollution monitoring system of the five most common pollutants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 329 children with recurrent wheezing or asthma and 364 healthy subjects who completed follow-up, children with recurrent wheezing or asthma reported significantly more days of fever (p=0.005) and cough (p<0.001), episodes of rhinitis (p=0.04) and tracheitis (p=0.01), asthma attacks (p<0.001), episodes of pneumonia (p<0.001) and hospitalizations (p=0.02). In the wheezing/asthma cohort, living close to the street with a high traffic density was a risk factor for asthma exacerbations (odds ratio [OR]=1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-2.84), whereas living near green areas was found to be protective (OR=0.50; 95% CI, 0.31 -0.80). An increase of 10 μg/m3 of particulates less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) increased the onset of pneumonia only in wheezing/asthmatic children (continuous rate ratio [RR]=1.08, 95% CI: 1.00-1.17 for PM10; continuous RR=1.08, 95% CI: 1.01-1.17 for NO2).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a significant association between traffic-related pollution and the development of asthma exacerbations and respiratory infections in children born to atopic parents and in those suffering from recurrent wheezing or asthma. These findings suggest that environmental control may be crucial for respiratory health in children with underlying respiratory disease.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Commenda 9, 20122 Milan, Italy. susanna.esposito@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.forename: Carlotta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Galeone
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lelii
authors.forename: Benedetta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Longhi
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ascolese
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Senatore
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Prada
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Montinaro
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Malerba
authors.forename: Maria Francesca
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Patria
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Principi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001336:Automobiles; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003371:Cough / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide / Q000633:toxicity; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000633:toxicity; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012135:Respiratory Sounds; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014136:Tracheitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D052638:Particulate Matter; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide
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