Asthma And Air Pollution: A Dangerous Mix

Air pollution is a serious issue for people with asthma, a chronic respiratory disease that affects over 23 million Americans. Pollutants in the air can irritate the airways, causing them to swell and tighten, and leading to breathing problems. This can trigger asthma attacks and make symptoms worse. People with asthma are particularly vulnerable to ground-level ozone, which forms when chemicals from cars, power plants, and factories mix with sunlight. Particle pollution, created when tiny bits of dust, dirt, smoke, and soot hang in the air, can also cause breathing problems as the smaller the particles, the deeper they can get into the lungs. Other pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide, can affect lung function and increase the likelihood of respiratory infections. Additionally, air pollution may impact DNA associated with asthma, suppressing genes that regulate the immune system's ability to differentiate allergens from dangerous foreign substances.

Air pollution can make asthma symptoms worse and trigger asthma attacks

Air pollution can worsen asthma symptoms and trigger asthma attacks. Pollutants in the air irritate the airways, causing them to swell and tighten, which leads to breathing problems. Pollutants can also increase the likelihood of upper respiratory infections, which can bring on asthma symptoms.

People with asthma are especially vulnerable to air pollution, and children are particularly susceptible to the adverse health effects of air pollution. Inhalers and other asthma medications can help mitigate the impact of air pollution on asthma, but they do not eliminate the risk.

Ground-level ozone, a major component of smog, is formed when chemicals from cars, power plants, and factories mix with sunlight. Ozone pollution can harm the lungs, causing respiratory changes and decreasing lung function. Particle pollution, created when tiny bits of dust, dirt, smoke, soot, and other particles hang in the air, can also cause breathing problems. The smaller the particles, the deeper they can penetrate into the lungs.

Other pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide, which are released during the burning of different types of fuels, can also affect lung function at high levels.

Pollutants irritate the airways, causing swelling and breathing problems

Pollutants can irritate the airways, causing swelling and breathing problems for people with asthma. This is due to the inflammation of the airway epithelium, which is the first point of contact between pollutants and the respiratory system.

When pollutants enter the body, they disrupt the airway epithelium's defences by compromising epithelial integrity, activating Toll-like and Nucleotid-binding Oligomerization Domain (NOD) receptors, and inducing oxidative stress. This activation of receptors results in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which cause inflammation of the airway epithelium.

In addition, pollutants can cause the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which induce epithelial cell inflammation, airway hyperreactivity (AHR), and lung injury. Pollutants can act directly by producing ROS and diffusing from the airway surface, or indirectly by inducing inflammation.

Furthermore, pollutants can act as adjuvants and affect the production of cytokines, which promote T-helper 2 (Th2) phenotypic differentiation and IgE production. Repeated exposure to pollutants can also induce group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2)-mediated airway type 2 immunity and the nonatopic asthma phenotype.

Overall, pollutants irritate the airways, causing swelling and breathing problems for people with asthma by disrupting the airway epithelium and inducing inflammation and oxidative stress.

Pollutants can make people more susceptible to upper respiratory infections, which can bring on asthma symptoms

Pollutants can irritate the airways, making them swell and tighten up, and cause breathing problems. They can also make people more susceptible to upper respiratory infections, which can bring on asthma symptoms.

Pollutants can make people more likely to catch upper respiratory infections, such as colds, which can bring on asthma symptoms. This is because pollutants irritate the airways, making them swell and tighten up, and cause breathing problems. In addition, pollutants can make the lungs even more sensitive to allergens in the air.

For example, ground-level ozone, which forms when chemicals from cars, power plants, and factories mix with sunlight, can harm the lungs. Particle pollution, which is created when tiny bits of dust, dirt, smoke, soot, and other substances hang in the air, can also cause breathing problems. The smaller the particles, the deeper they can get into the lungs and cause breathing problems.

Therefore, it is important to know how to take precautions when the air quality is poor. For instance, on days when air quality is poor, it is recommended to run the air conditioning and limit children's outdoor activities.

Particle pollution is created when tiny bits of dust, dirt, smoke, soot, and other matter hang in the air

Particle pollution is made up of a complex mixture of dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets from both natural and man-made sources. Natural sources include wind-blown dust, sea salt, volcanic ash, pollen, fungal spores, and soil particles. Man-made sources include industrial processes, construction work, mining, cigarette smoking, fossil fuel combustion, and wood stove burning.

The respiratory mucosa, formed by the airway epithelium, is the first point of contact between air pollutants and the respiratory system. Under conditions of air pollution exposure, the defences of the airway epithelium are compromised by the disruption of epithelial integrity, the uptake of particles, and the activation of various receptors. This can lead to inflammation, airway hyperreactivity, and lung injury.

People with asthma are especially vulnerable to particle pollution. Exposure to air pollution can make asthma symptoms worse, trigger asthma attacks, and increase the likelihood of hospitalisation.

Active tobacco smoking is associated with poorer asthma control

Asthma patients who smoke have an increased burden of symptoms, both in terms of intensity and frequency. They also have a higher rate and severity of exacerbations. Furthermore, active smokers with asthma typically have uncontrolled disease, as shown by increased symptoms, more exacerbations, and impaired quality of life.

On the other hand, smoking cessation improves lung function and asthma severity. Therefore, asthma patients and their caregivers should be actively questioned about their smoking status at each medical encounter, and smoking cessation ought to be strongly encouraged for both patients with asthma and their close contacts.

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