Effects of climate and air pollution factors on outpatient visits for eczema: a time series analysis

Eczema resulting from external and internal factors accounts for the biggest global burden of disability owing to skin disease. This study aimed to determine an association between environmental factors and outpatient clinic visits for eczema. We collected data on dermatology clinic outpatient visit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of Dermatological Research 2021, Vol.313 (1), p.49-55
Main Authors: Karagün, Ebru, Yıldız, Pınar, Cangür, Şengül
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air pollution
Air quality measurements
Air temperature
Climate effects
Dermatology
Eczema
Environmental factors
Humidity
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Original Paper
Particulate matter
Pollutants
Relative humidity
Skin diseases
Sulfur dioxide
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Summary:Eczema resulting from external and internal factors accounts for the biggest global burden of disability owing to skin disease. This study aimed to determine an association between environmental factors and outpatient clinic visits for eczema. We collected data on dermatology clinic outpatient visits for eczema between January 2013 and July 2019. Data concerning environmental factors during this period were collated using national air quality network and air monitoring measurement parameters, namely barometric pressure, relative humidity, air temperature, and air pollutant concentrations, such as sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) and particulate matter (PM 10 ). A distributed lag nonlinear model was used to investigate the relationship among eczema, environmental factors, and lagged effects. In total, 27,549 outpatient visits for eczema were recorded. In both single-factor and multiple-factor lag models, the effects of a 10-µg/m 3 increase in PM 10 and SO 2 values had significantly positive effects on the number of daily outpatient visits over a total 5 days of lag after adjusting for temperature, the number of daily outpatient visits increased with 0.87%, 7.65% and 0.69%, 5.34%, respectively. Relative humidity (RR = 1.3870, 95% CI 1.3117–1.4665) and pressure (RR = 1.0394, 95% CI 1.0071–1.0727) had significantly positive effects on the number of daily outpatients in single-factor lag models. However temperature had a significantly negative effect on them in the number of daily outpatients (RR = 0.9686, 95% CI 0.9556–0.9819). Exposure to air pollution exacerbated eczema. Outpatient visits for eczema were found to have strong positive associations with changes in PM 10 levels.
ISSN:0340-3696
1432-069X
DOI:10.1007/s00403-020-02115-9