Journal
ALLERGY ASTHMA & IMMUNOLOGY RESEARCH
Volume 7, Issue 4, Pages 359-366Publisher
KOREAN ACAD ASTHMA ALLERGY & CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
DOI: 10.4168/aair.2015.7.4.359
Keywords
Air pollution; asthma; allergic rhinitis; respiratory function tests; bronchial hyperreactivity; child
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Funding
- Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea
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Purpose: This study evaluated the relationship of living near to main roads to allergic diseases, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), allergic sensitization, and lung function in Korean children. Methods: A total of 5,443 children aged 6-14 years from 33 elementary schools in 10 cities during 2005-2006 were included in a baseline survey of the Children's Health and Environmental Research. We assessed association of traffic-related air pollution (TAP) exposure with the distance to the nearest main road, total road length of main roads and the proportion of the main road area within the 200-m home area. Results: Positive exposure-response relationships were found between the length of the main road within the 200-m home area and lifetime wheeze (adjusted prevalence ratio [PR] for comparison of the longest to the shortest length categories=1.24; 95% Cls, 1.04-1.47; Pfor trend=0.022) and diagnosed asthma (PR=1.42; 95% Cls, 1.08-1.86; Pfor trend=0.011). Living less than 75 m from the main road was significantly associated with lifetime allergic rhinitis (AR), past-year AR symptoms, diagnosed AR, and treated AR. The distance to the main road (P for trend=0.001), the length of the main road (P for trend=0.041), and the proportion of the main road area (Pfor trend=0.006) had an exposure-response relationship with allergic sensitization. A strong inverse association was observed between residential proximity to the main load and lung function, especially FEV1, FEV1/FVC, and FEF25-75. The length of the main road and the proportion of the main road area were associated with reduced FEV1 in schoolchildren. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that exposure to traffic-related air pollution may be associated with increased risk of asthma, AR, and allergic sensitization, and with reduced lung function in schoolchildren.
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