Air pollution increases autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune disease is known to be the 3rd most dangerous in the world, just behind cardiovascular disease and cancer. Autoimmune diseases are difficult to cure completely. Recent studies have shown that air pollution can increase the incidence of autoimmune diseases. However, if detected and treated early, it is possible to overcome as well as prevent possible bad complications.

Autoimmune disease occurs with a medical condition where the body's immune system loses its ability to recognize and distinguish the body's antigens from harmful foreign agents. This is more clearly explained because the antigens in the body are confused and attack the body's own organs, but harmful viruses and bacteria enter the body, these antigens cannot. prevent the attack as well as the damage of these harmful agents.
Common signs for patients with autoimmune diseases include:
At first, there may be unexplained and prolonged fatigue; In the period of full-blown disease, there will be persistent fever, body aches, headache, accompanied by joint pain, muscle pain, swelling, heat and effusion of joints... People with autoimmune disease who are not treated or early intervention, the disease will become more and more complicated. In some cases, the bones and joints have been deformed, crooked or hypertrophied, affecting the ability to hold, grasp, and walk. In severe cases, it can cause lifelong disability along with other dangerous complications.

While other studies have found environmental air pollution from cars and factories can trigger an inflammatory response, new research by Giovanni Adami, MD, University of Verona in Italy and colleagues has examines the association between long-term exposure to pollution and specific risk of autoimmune diseases.
World Health Organization says environmental air pollution is a major health risk and 99% of the world's population lives in places that do not meet healthy air quality recommendations . The lack of solid data on the exact role of air pollution in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases has prompted the conduct of related studies. Disorders of autoimmune disease that are affected by air pollution often affect joints, tendons, bones, and muscles. These include types of arthritis, lupus, and gout.
Researchers looked at medical information from 81,363 adults in Italy. The data were taken from June 2016 to November 2020. The subjects in the study were mostly women (92%) with a mean age of 65, and 17866 (22%) had at least one health condition. get. Each participant is linked to the nearest air quality monitoring station operated by the Italian Institute for Research and Environmental Protection through their residential postcode. The researchers are particularly interested in the potential effects of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5). Levels of 30μg/m3 for PM10 and 20μg/m3 for PM2.5 are thresholds generally considered harmful to human health. About 9723 people (12%) were diagnosed with an autoimmune disease between 2016 and 2020.
Information on air quality was collected from 617 monitoring stations in 110 Italian provinces. The average long-term exposure from 2013 to 2019 was 16 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 25 μg/m3 for PM10. PM2.5 exposure is not associated with a higher risk of autoimmune disease diagnoses. But PM10 was associated with a 7% increased risk for every 10μg/m3 increase in level, after accounting for likely influencing factors. Long-term exposure to PM10 over 30 μg/m3 and PM2.5 above 20 μg/m3, respectively, was associated with a 12% and 13% higher risk of autoimmune disease, respectively. Long-term exposure to PM10 is specifically associated with a high risk of rheumatoid arthritis, while long-term exposure to PM2.5 is associated with a higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis, a connective tissue disease. and inflammatory bowel disease. Overall, long-term exposure to traffic and industrial air pollutants was associated with an approximately 40% higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis, a 20% higher risk of inflammatory bowel disease, and a 20% higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. 15% higher incidence of connective tissue diseases.
The results obtained should consider exposure to air pollution as a risk factor and study that can cause major health and social consequences.
The Italian study is particularly timely “based on our growing and emerging understanding of environmental risk factors for acute and chronic disease, which we must understand before there is solvable”.
Furthermore, this study reminds us to think more broadly about how air quality and the environment can affect health. And all doctors should commit to advancing science that can improve public health and reduce mortality and disability.
Even so, this was an observational study and therefore no cause could be determined. The researchers acknowledge a number of limitations that may have affected the findings of this study. Limitations include lack of information on date of diagnosis and onset of autoimmune disease symptoms; air quality monitoring may not reflect individual exposure to pollutants; The findings may not be more widely applicable because the study participants mainly consisted of older women at increased risk of fracture. But the consequences of air pollution have been linked to immune system abnormalities and smoking, which shares some toxins with fossil fuel emissions, a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis. short

According to experts, although autoimmune disease has dangerous complications, if not treated promptly, it can be difficult and complicated. Therefore, the patient should take a number of measures to help prevent the disease effectively, including:
Exercise to help improve health as well as the flexibility of the organ system in the body. It is possible to apply exercises with a period of 30 - 60 minutes a day such as walking, yoga, swimming, cycling... Make a reasonable and healthy diet. It is important to ensure adequate supply of nutrients according to the recommended needs of the body. Thereby improving health and helping to fight disease better. In addition, daily should still be fully supplemented with micronutrients for the body to enhance resistance and immunity for the body. Develop a plan for periodic general medical examination. In addition to regular health care, a health check-up can help detect diseases earlier and have an early, timely and appropriate treatment plan to help reverse the disease.

Reference source: webmd.com