In multivariable analyses after adjustment for demographics and smoking status, odds ratio was 2.21 for eczema in areas with higher PM2.5<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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WEDNESDAY, Nov. 13, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The odds of eczema are increased with greater exposure to fine particulate matter of diameter \u22642.5 \u03bcm (PM2.5<\/sub>), according to a study published online Nov. 13 in PLOS ONE<\/em>.<\/p>\n Gloria F. Chen, from the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues examined the risk for eczema with PM2.5<\/sub> exposure in a diverse national cohort of American adults in a cross-sectional study. Eczema cases in the All of Us<\/em> Research Program were linked via three-digit zip code to average annual PM2.5 <\/sub>concentrations from the Center for Air, Climate, and Energy Solutions.<\/p>\n The researchers found that the 12,695 individuals with eczema lived in areas with significantly higher PM2.5<\/sub> concentrations than the 274,127 without eczema (0.83 versus 0.81 x 10 \u00b5g\/m3<\/sup>). In a univariate analysis, PM2.5 <\/sub>concentration was significantly associated with eczema (odds ratio, 1.97); the findings persisted in multivariable analyses after controlling for demographics and smoking status (odds ratio, 2.21) and with the addition of atopic comorbidities (odds ratio, 2.38).<\/p>\n “Our finding of an approximately twofold increased risk of eczema per 10 \u03bcg\/m3<\/sup> rise in PM2.5 <\/sub>is clinically relevant as well as actionable, as the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index is based on differences in PM2.5 <\/sub>concentrations of comparable orders of magnitude,” the authors write.<\/p>\n