Pierpaolo Marchetti1, Giancarlo Pesce2, Simona Villani3, Leonardo Antonicelli4, Renato Ariano5, Francesco Attena6, Roberto Bono7, Valeria Bellisario7, Alessandro Fois8, Nadia Gibelli9, Morena Nicolis10, Mario Olivieri11, Pietro Pirina8, Eugenio Scopano12, Consolata Siniscalco13, Giuseppe Verlato2, Alessandro Marcon2. 1. Unit of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. Electronic address: pierpaolo.marchetti@univr.it. 2. Unit of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. 3. Unit of Biostatistics and Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Italy. 4. Allergy Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti, Ancona, Italy. 5. Allergologia, Azienda Sanitaria Locale 1, Imperiese, (IM), Italy. 6. Department of Experimental Medicine, II University of Naples, Naples, Italy. 7. Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Turin, Italy. 8. Unit of Lung Disease, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy. 9. U.O.C. di Medicina del Lavoro, Sezione di Allergologia, Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri, Pavia, Italy. 10. Unit of Hygiene and Preventive, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. 11. Unit of Occupational Medicine, University Hospital of Verona, Verona, Italy. 12. Air pollution Unit, Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione Ambientale Campania (ARPAC), Caserta, Italy. 13. Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pollen exposure has acute adverse effects on sensitized individuals. Information on the prevalence of respiratory diseases in areas with different pollen concentrations is scanty. AIM: We performed an ecologic analysis to assess whether the prevalence of allergic rhinitis and asthma in young adults varied across areas with different pollen concentrations in Italy. METHODS: A questionnaire on respiratory diseases was delivered to random samples of 20-44year-old subjects from six centers in 2005-2010. Data on the daily air concentrations of 7 major allergologic pollens (Poaceae, Urticaceae, Oleaceae, Cupressaceae, Coryloideae, Betula and Ambrosia) were collected for 2007-2008. Center-specific pollen exposure indicators were calculated, including the average number of days per year with pollens above the low or high concentration thresholds defined by the Italian Association of Aerobiology. Associations between pollen exposure and disease prevalence, adjusted for potential confounders, were estimated using logistic regression models with center as a random-intercept. RESULTS: Overall, 8834 subjects (56.8%) filled in the questionnaire. Allergic rhinitis was significantly less frequent in the centers with longer periods with high concentrations of at least one (OR per 10days=0.989, 95%CI: 0.979-0.999) or at least two pollens (OR=0.974, 95%CI: 0.951-0.998); associations with the number of days with at least one (OR=0.988, 95%CI: 0.972-1.004) or at least two (OR=0.985, 95%CI: 0.970-1.001) pollens above the low thresholds were borderline significant. Asthma prevalence was not associated with pollen concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Our study does not support that the prevalence of allergic rhinitis and asthma is greater in centers with higher pollen concentrations. It is not clear whether the observed ecologic associations hold at the individual level.
BACKGROUND: Pollen exposure has acute adverse effects on sensitized individuals. Information on the prevalence of respiratory diseases in areas with different pollen concentrations is scanty. AIM: We performed an ecologic analysis to assess whether the prevalence of allergic rhinitis and asthma in young adults varied across areas with different pollen concentrations in Italy. METHODS: A questionnaire on respiratory diseases was delivered to random samples of 20-44year-old subjects from six centers in 2005-2010. Data on the daily air concentrations of 7 major allergologic pollens (Poaceae, Urticaceae, Oleaceae, Cupressaceae, Coryloideae, Betula and Ambrosia) were collected for 2007-2008. Center-specific pollen exposure indicators were calculated, including the average number of days per year with pollens above the low or high concentration thresholds defined by the Italian Association of Aerobiology. Associations between pollen exposure and disease prevalence, adjusted for potential confounders, were estimated using logistic regression models with center as a random-intercept. RESULTS: Overall, 8834 subjects (56.8%) filled in the questionnaire. Allergic rhinitis was significantly less frequent in the centers with longer periods with high concentrations of at least one (OR per 10days=0.989, 95%CI: 0.979-0.999) or at least two pollens (OR=0.974, 95%CI: 0.951-0.998); associations with the number of days with at least one (OR=0.988, 95%CI: 0.972-1.004) or at least two (OR=0.985, 95%CI: 0.970-1.001) pollens above the low thresholds were borderline significant. Asthma prevalence was not associated with pollen concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Our study does not support that the prevalence of allergic rhinitis and asthma is greater in centers with higher pollen concentrations. It is not clear whether the observed ecologic associations hold at the individual level.
Authors: Agnieszka Lipiec; Adam Sybilski; Piotr Rapiejko; Konrad Furmañczyk; Andrzej Namysłowski; Wojciech Zieliñski; Małgorzata Malkiewicz; Daria Biliñska; Kazimiera Chłopek; Bolesław Samoliñski Journal: Postepy Dermatol Alergol Date: 2019-03-27 Impact factor: 1.837
Authors: Giulia Squillacioti; Valeria Bellisario; Stefano Levra; Pavilio Piccioni; Roberto Bono Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2019-12-22 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Valeria Bellisario; Pavilio Piccioni; Massimiliano Bugiani; Giulia Squillacioti; Stefano Levra; Carlo Gulotta; Giulio Mengozzi; Alberto Perboni; Elena Grignani; Roberto Bono Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2019-10-22 Impact factor: 3.390