Complex Interactions of Pollutant and Allergen Exposures and Their Impact on People With Asthma

Pediatric asthma has many causes and can manifest differently in different children and at different times. Understanding the many factors related to the development and exacerbation of asthma is complicated by the complexity of the many environmental exposures related to asthma development and morbidity. Furthermore, the same environmental exposures that may cause increased symptoms at 1 point in time may be protective when the exposure occurs earlier or at high enough levels. We know that environmental exposures such as allergens, irritants, and pollutants are quite complex in their composition; further examination of this complexity may improve our understanding of this complex and highly prevalent disease. Pediatrics 2009; 123:S160-S167