Impact of air pollution exposure on lung function and exhaled breath biomarkers in children and adolescents

A growing number of scientific papers focus on the description and quantification of the detrimental effects of pollution exposure on human health. The respiratory system is one of the main targets of these effects and children are potentially a vulnerable population. Many studies analyzed the effects of short- and long-term exposure to air pollutants on children ’s respiratory function. Aim of the present narrative review is to summarize the results of the available cohort studies which investigated how lung function of children and adolescents is affected by exposure to air pollution. In addition, an overview is provided on the association, in children, between pollution exposure and exhaled breath biomarkers, as possible indicators of the pathogenetic mechanisms involved in pollution-related lung damages. The identified cohort studies suggest that, beside the possible impact of recent exposure, early and lifetime exposure are the variables most co nsistently associated with a reduction in lung function parameters in both children and adolescents. As for the effect of air pollution exposure on exhaled breath biomarkers, the available studies show an association with increased exhaled nitric oxide, with increased concentrations of malondialdehy de and 8-isoprostane in exhaled breath condensate (EBC), and with EBC acidification. These studies, therefore, suggest lung inflammation and oxidative stress as possible pathogenetic mechanisms involved in pollution related lung dam...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Source Type: research