Prenatal and Postnatal Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Preschool Asthma in Neonatal Jaundice Infants

Abstract

Purpose Both air pollutant exposure and neonatal jaundice (NJ) have known effects on childhood asthma, but a higher total serum bilirubin (TSB) level has been associated with lung protection. This study aimed to assess whether prenatal/postnatal exposure to ambient air pollutants is related to the development of asthma in infants with NJ. Patients and Methods A nested case–control retrospective study was performed using the data of infants with NJ in the Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital Research Database. Data on average ambient air pollution concentrations within six months, the first year and second year after birth, and in the first, second and third prenatal trimesters were collected. NJ was defined as TSB levels ≥ 2 mg/dl with the diagnosis less than one-month-old. Asthma was defined as a diagnosis with medication use. We constructed conditional logistic regression models to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Exposure to NO and SO 2 at all six time points in the study was significantly associated with an increased risk of preschool asthma in infants with NJ. The overall peak OR (95% CI) of SO 2 , PM 2.5 , PM 10 , NO, NO 2 , and NO X were 1.277 (1.129–1.444), 1.057 (1.023–1.092), 1.035 (1.011–1.059), 1.272 (1.111–1.455), 1.168 (1.083–1.259) and 1.104 (1.051–1.161), respectively. Fetuses in the first and second trimester were most vulnerable to ambient air pollutant exposure such as SO 2 PM 2.5 , NO, NO 2 and NO X during the prenatal period. Exposure to all six ambient air pollutants during the first and second years after birth significantly affected preschool asthma in NJ infants. Conclusion In different time windows, prenatal and postnatal exposure to SO 2 , PM 2.5 , PM 10 , NO, NO 2 , and NO X were associated with preschool asthma in NJ infants. The relatively high impact of NO and SO 2 exposure in infants with NJ requires further studies and prevention measures.

Air pollution after acute bronchiolitis is a risk factor for preschool asthma: a nested case-control study

“…This retrospective nested case–control study was extracted from electronic medical records (EMRs) in the Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital Research Database (KMUHRD). The KMUHRD, more than three million EMRs with patient identifiers from multiple hospitals within the KMU health system (one tertiary medical center, two regional hospitals and one local hospital) in Kaohsiung city, southern Taiwan, had been used for pediatrics population study [ 17 ]. Using KMUHRD EMR record data from 2009 to 2019, we first identified children with first diagnosis of acute bronchiolitis before 24 months old at the outpatient visit or inpatient admission who remained in our health system at least five years after index date.…”

Intra-Airway Treatment with Synthetic Lipoxin A4 and Resolvin E2 Mitigates Neonatal Asthma Triggered by Maternal Exposure to Environmental Particles

“…Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is one of the key environmental pollution components linked in epidemiological and mechanistic studies to asthma onset and the severity of exacerbations [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Not only direct exposure but also prenatal (maternal) exposure to environmental toxicants, including PM, has been linked to asthma and allergic sensitization [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ], but there is a lack of consensus on the mechanism.…”