Imperial College London
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DrElaineFuertes

Faculty of Medicine, National Heart & Lung Institute

Research Fellow
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 7939e.fuertes

 
 
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Location

 

Emmanuel Kaye BuildingRoyal Brompton Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Lam:2021:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143924,
author = {Lam, H and Jarvis, D and Fuertes, E},
doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143924},
journal = {Science of the Total Environment},
title = {Interactive effects of allergens and air pollution on respiratory health: A systematic review},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143924},
volume = {757},
year = {2021}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - BackgroundStudies have demonstrated an adverse role of outdoor allergens on respiratory symptoms. It is unknown whether this effect is independent or synergistic of outdoor air pollutants.MethodsWe systematically reviewed all epidemiological studies that examined interaction effects between counts of outdoor airborne allergens (pollen, fungal spores) and air pollutants, on any respiratory health outcome in children and adults. We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE and Scopus databases. Each study was summarized qualitatively and assessed for quality and risk of bias (International Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews, registration number CRD42020162571).ResultsThirty-five studies were identified (15 timeseries, eight case-crossovers, 11 panels and one cohort study), of which 12 reported a significant statistical interaction between an allergen and air pollutant. Eight interactions were related to asthma outcomes, including one on lung function measures and wheeze, three to medical consultations for pollinosis and one to allergic symptoms (nasal, ocular or bronchial). There was no consensus as to which allergen or air pollutant is more likely to interact. No study investigated whether interactions are stronger in atopic individuals.ConclusionDespite strong evidence from small experimental studies in humans, only a third of studies identified significant allergen-pollutant interactions using common epidemiological study designs. Exposure misclassification, failure to examine subgroups at risk, inadequate statistical power or absence of population-level effects are possible explanations.
AU  - Lam,H
AU  - Jarvis,D
AU  - Fuertes,E
DO  - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143924
PY  - 2021///
SN  - 0048-9697
TI  - Interactive effects of allergens and air pollution on respiratory health: A systematic review
T2  - Science of the Total Environment
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143924
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/85752
VL  - 757
ER  -
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