NEW YORK, Mar 12 (Reuters Health) -- Children with a tendency to allergies and asthma are also vulnerable to lung problems caused by air pollution, researchers in the Netherlands report.
These children "should be targeted by public health-improvement strategies," write Dr. H. Marike Boezen of the University of Groningen and colleagues. The study findings are published in the March 13th issue of The Lancet.
Numerous studies have suggested that air pollution negatively impacts on the health of asthmatic children. Investigating further, the Dutch researchers studied 459 children who, during three winters, had daily lung function tests. The research team also kept track of the children's respiratory symptoms such as wheeze, sore throat and runny nose.
Twenty-six percent of the children were found to have bronchial hypersensitivity -- lungs that tend to overreact to allergens -- and high levels of IgE, an antibody linked to allergy, in their blood. According to the authors, this group showed a significant increase (from 33% to 139%) of respiratory symptoms for each 100 micrograms per cubic meter increase in atmospheric particulate matter. "Particulate matter" includes microscopic bits of dust, fumes, and other contaminates found in smog-filled air.
The investigators also report that asthmatic symptoms increased by 16% to 131% for each additional 40 micrograms per cubic meter increase in concentrations of black smoke, sulfur dioxide, or nitrogen dioxide. And they found that decreases in lung capacity among these high-risk children were "more common with increased airborne particulate matter and black smoke."
The researchers conclude that "the effect of air pollution on public health is likely to be substantial."
In an editorial, Dr. Peter Burney of Guy's, King's, and St. Thomas' School of Medicine, London, UK, warns that "the likelihood of control of outdoor allergens in the same way as of other pollutants is small." He recommends that public health officials concentrate on measures aimed at making individuals less susceptible rather than on trying to control their exposure to these allergens.
SOURCE: The Lancet 1999;353:859-860, 874-878.
