title: Effects on asthma and respiratory allergy of Climate change and air pollution.
abstract: The major changes to our world are those involving the atmosphere and the climate, including global warming induced by anthropogenic factors, with impact on the biosphere and human environment. Studies on the effects of climate changes on respiratory allergy are still lacking and current knowledge is provided by epidemiological and experimental studies on the relationship between allergic respiratory diseases, asthma and environmental factors, like meteorological variables, airborne allergens and air pollution. Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that urbanization, high levels of vehicle emissions and westernized lifestyle are correlated with an increased frequency of respiratory allergy, mainly in people who live in urban areas in comparison with people living in rural areas. However, it is not easy to evaluate the impact of climate changes and air pollution on the prevalence of asthma in general and on the timing of asthma exacerbations, although the global rise in asthma prevalence and severity could be also considered an effect of air pollution and climate changes. Since airborne allergens and air pollutants are frequently increased contemporaneously in the atmosphere, enhanced IgE-mediated response to aeroallergens and enhanced airway inflammation could account for the increasing frequency of respiratory allergy and asthma in atopic subjects in the last five decades. Pollen allergy is frequently used to study the interrelationship between air pollution and respiratory allergic diseases such as rhinitis and bronchial asthma. Climatic factors (temperature, wind speed, humidity, thunderstorms, etc) can affect both components (biological and chemical) of this interaction. Scientific societies should be involved in advocacy activities, such as those realized by the Global Alliance against chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD).
authors.affiliation: Division of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Department of Chest Diseases, High Speciality A.Cardarelli Hospital, Via Rione Sirignano,10, 80121 Naples, Italy ; University "Federico II", Medical School, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Gennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: D'Amato
authors.affiliation: First Division of Pneumology, High Speciality Hospital "V. Monaldi" and University "Federico II" Medical School, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vitale
authors.affiliation: Directorate General for Health Prevention, Ministry of Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Martino
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology and Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Palermo and Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Viegi
authors.affiliation: First Division of Pneumology, High Speciality Hospital "V. Monaldi" and University "Federico II" Medical School, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lanza
authors.affiliation: First Division of Pneumology, High Speciality Hospital "V. Monaldi" and University "Federico II" Medical School, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molino
authors.affiliation: University "Federico II", Medical School, Naples, Italy ; Second Division of Pneumology, High Speciality Hospital "V. Monaldi" and University "Federico II" Medical School, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanduzzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vatrella
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology of Allergic and Respiratory diseases department (EPAR), Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique (IPLESP UMRS 1136), Paris, France ; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, Medical School Saint-Antoine, F75012 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Annesi-Maesano
authors.affiliation: First Division of Pneumology, High Speciality Hospital "V. Monaldi" and University "Federico II" Medical School, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Amato
keywords: Air pollution and asthma; Airway hypersensitivity; Allergic airway diseases; Climate changes; GARD, Pollen allergy: Thunderstorm asthma; Weather and asthma