People living in areas with higher levels of air pollution are more likely to have eczema, according to a new study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, by Dr. Jeffrey Cohen of Yale School of Medicine, in the US.
The prevalence of eczema has increased globally with industrialisation, suggesting a possible contribution from environmental factors. In the new study, researchers used data from the US National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Programme, covering hundreds of thousands of US adults.
Overall, 12,695 participants (4.4%) were diagnosed with eczema. After controlling for demographics and smoking status, people with eczema were more likely to live in area codes with high levels of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, in the air. For every increase of 10 µm/m3 in average PM2.5 air pollution in their area code, people were more than twice as likely to have eczema.
The authors conclude that increased air pollution, as measured by PM2.5, may influence the risk of developing eczema, likely through its effects on the immune system.
Visit: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0310498
