Adult atopic dermatitis and exposure to air pollutants—a nationwide population-based study

Publication date: Available online 23 January 2017
Source:Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Author(s): Kuo-Tung Tang, Kai-Chen Ku, Der-Yuan Chen, Ching-Heng Lin, Ben-Jei Tsuang, Yi-Hsing Chen
BackgroundThere is a trend toward an increased worldwide prevalence of allergic diseases. It is speculated that industrialization with resultant air pollution plays a role. However, there are sparse epidemiologic data on the relation between air pollution and atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults.ObjectiveTo investigate the relation between exposure to air pollutants and adult AD in a cross-sectional study based on data from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan.MethodsWe identified 1,023 adult patients with AD and 4,092 age- and sex-matched controls without allergic diseases in 2011. Using data from 71 Environmental Protection Agency monitoring stations across Taiwan, levels of exposure to air pollutants were determined by the location of a subject's place of residence. Multivariate logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, levels of urbanization, and family income, was performed.ResultsWe found an association between particulate matter <2.5 μm in diameter or the Pollutant Standards Index (the highest sub-index of the concentrations of 5 main air pollutants after transformation) and the development of adult AD. The adjusted odds ratios were 1.05 (95% confidence interval 1.02–1.08) and 1.02 (95% confidence interval 1.01–1.03), respectively.ConclusionThese results demonstrated that air pollution, represented by particulate matter <2.5 μm in diameter or the Pollutant Standards Index, was modestly associated with the development of AD in adults.



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