The increasing evidence indicates that air pollution is the cause of eczema

Air pollution is increasingly associated with an increased risk of eczema, as the latest study showed a clear relationship between exposure and skin condition.

Vehicles and power plants launch polluted molecules with a diameter of 2.5 ومر m or less, called PM2.5. It was previously linked to an increased risk of eczemaWhich is believed to be as a result of hyperactivity of the immune system, which causes inflammation that makes the skin dry and itching.

To collect more evidence, Jeffrey Cohen His colleagues at the University of Yale University Medical analyzed medical records of more than 280,000 people who participated in the experiment. Research program for each of us Most of them were in the 1950s. This project collects health data from a variety of people in the United States, with a focus on those whose representation is usually incomplete in research, such as ethnic minorities.

The researchers also looked at the average PM2.5 levels where these people live, using the data collected in 2015 by the Research Institute Air, Climate and Energy Solutions Center In Virginia.

Then they compared the PM2.5 levels in 788 sites throughout the United States with eczema cases, which were diagnosed until mid -2022. They found that for every 10 micrograms per cubic meter an increase in PM2.5, eczema rates increase more than twice. “In the most polluted areas in the country, there was more eczema,” says Cohen.

The team took into account the factors that could affect the results, such as sweat and whether people smoke or suffer from food allergies.

He says: “The study provides science by showing a clear relationship between a large number of population.” Giuseppe Valachi At North Carolina State University. Vatychi says the PM2.5 may stimulate the immune system to cause inflammation when it comes into contact with the skin, as the pollen or dust mites do. He says that inhaling it may also play a role, as this may increase inflammation throughout the body.

Cohen says this research should give governments another reason to impose policies that reduce air pollution. Meanwhile, people who live in polluted areas can reduce their risks by wearing long sleeves or staying in their homes when pollution levels are particularly high, Vattechy says.

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