Prenatal, Postnatal Exposure to PM2.5 Linked to Pediatric Allergic Rhinitis

FRIDAY, March 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Prenatal and postnatal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is associated with the development of allergic rhinitis in children, according to a study published online March 11 in Thorax.

Yu-Ting Lin, M.D., Ph.D., from China Medical University Hospital in Taichung, Taiwan, and colleagues used a large population-based birth cohort of 140,911 singleton live infants to examine the effects of prenatal and early postnatal exposure to PM_2.5 on the onset of allergic rhinitis.

The researchers found that 33.55 percent of the children were identified as cases of incident allergic rhinitis. Children with allergic rhinitis had a mean age of 2.97 ± 1.78 years at initial diagnosis. A significant association was seen between allergic rhinitis and an interquartile range (17.98 µg/m³) increase in PM_2.5 during the period from 30 gestational weeks to 52 weeks after birth. Associations were seen between allergic rhinitis and a PM_2.5 ranging from 26 to 76 µg/m³ in the exposure-response relationship (adjusted hazard ratios ranged from 1.00 to 1.05 per 1 µg/m³ increase).

“Further studies are required to confirm the association between prenatal and postnatal exposures to PM_2.5 and allergic rhinitis incidence and to verify the vulnerable time window,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text