title: The effect of climate change on skin disease in North America.
abstract: Global temperatures continue to rise, reaching new records almost every year this decade. Although the causes are debated, climate change is a reality. Consequences of climate change include melting of the arctic ice cap, rising of sea levels, changes in precipitation patterns, and increased severe weather events. This article updates dermatologists about the effects of climate change on the epidemiology and geographic ranges of selected skin diseases in North America. Although globalization, travel, and trade are also important to changing disease and vector patterns, climate change creates favorable habitats and expanded access to immunologically naïve hosts. Endemic North American illnesses such as Lyme disease, leishmaniasis, and dimorphic fungal infections have recently expanded the geographic areas of risk. As temperatures increase, epidemic viral diseases such as hand-foot-and-mouth disease may develop transmission seasons that are longer and more intense. Chikungunya and dengue are now reported within the southern United States, with Zika on the horizon. Cutaneous injuries from aquatic and marine organisms that have expanding habitats and longer durations of peak activity include jellyfish envenomation, cercarial dermatitis, and seabather eruption, among others. Skin cancer rates may also be affected indirectly by changes in temperature and associated behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Dermatology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Benjamin H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Kaffenberger
authors.affiliation: Entomology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shetlar
authors.affiliation: Dermatology, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia.
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Norton
authors.affiliation: Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Electronic address: Misha.Rosenbach@uphs.upenn.edu.
authors.forename: Misha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenbach
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000453:epidemiology*; D065632:Chikungunya Fever / Q000453:epidemiology; D057231:Climate Change; D003063:Cnidaria; D003047:Coccidioidomycosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003715:Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology; D004199:Disease Vectors; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D006232:Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D009656:North America / Q000453:epidemiology; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D000071243:Zika Virus Infection / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Lyme disease; Zika; cercarial dermatitis; chikungunya; climate change; coccidioidomycosis; dengue; environmental change; global warming; hand-foot-and-mouth syndrome; herpangina; jellyfish; leishmaniasis; seabather eruption; skin cancer; skin disease; swimmer itch