Tree pollen exposure is associated with reduced lung function in children

Abstract

Allergic disease is a recognized global epidemic. 1 An increasing proportion of asthma can be classed as allergic asthma. 2 In children, asthma remains a significant cause of ill health, disability and poor quality of life. 3 Lung function and exhaled markers of airway inflammation are important measures of asthma activity and overall lung health. Identifying modifiable factors that influence these markers is important to understand asthma and for asthma control. The role of pollen in allergic respiratory disease cannot be understated, especially when considering the severe effects of "thunderstorm asthma." While climatic conditions were important, the high

Residential greenness, asthma, and lung function among children at high risk of allergic sensitization: a prospective cohort study

“…Our pattern of null findings related to %FEV 1 /FVC are notable, since asthma is an obstructive disease characterized by a reduced FEV 1 /FVC ratio. Our finding is similar to a study by Lambert et al [ 55 ] in which children exposed to pollen demonstrated similarly decreased FEV 1 and FVC, but no effect was observed on FEV 1 /FVC.…”

“…This could be important for examining hypothesized relationships between child respiratory disease and exposure to aeroallergens such as pollen [ 34 ] or for detecting effect measure modification by atopy. For example, two recent studies have found grass pollen [ 63 ] and evergreen pollen [ 55 ] negatively associated with lung function in children and adolescents. Markevych et al [ 22 ] found that both asthma and allergic sensitivity increased as exposure to trees, and specifically allergenic trees, increased.…”

A Review of the Respiratory Health Burden Attributable to Short-Term Exposure to Pollen

“…Subsequently, we performed a data analysis of the MACS high-risk cohort which consisted of primarily adults and observed increased grass pollen concentrations to be associated with middle–small airway changes 2–3 days after exposure, as reflected by the FEV 1 /FVC ratio and FEF 25–75% , respectively [ 29 ]. Similarly, Lambert et al [ 82 ] observed a reduction in FEV 1 and FVC with increasing concentrations of tree pollen at lag 1 and lag 3 in 8-year-old ‘high-risk’ children residing in Sydney, Australia [ 82 ]. The same authors investigated similar relationships in adolescents of the GINIplus and LISA cohorts in Germany, but observed the association to be present only in those who were pollen sensitised [ 30 ].…”

Developments in the field of allergy in 2020 through the eyes of Clinical and Experimental Allergy

“…Other work covered the issue of product availability for venom immunotherapy in the UK, 115 epidemiology of allergic and respiratory disease 116‐119 , 120 , 121 occupational allergies, 122‐124 advances in allergy diagnostics 125‐133 , 134 , 135 , 136 , animal model work 137 138 , 139 , 140 , 141 , investigation of infant airway epithelium, 142 a possible association between tree pollen exposure and reduced lung function 143 and evaluations of allergy service delivery 144‐147 …”