Air pollution is a major public health issue, and its adversity is only increasing. The condition has been exacerbated by the recent wildfires, but the effect of wildfires on skin-related diseases is not known. This study aims to determine the association between wildfire-associated air pollution and inflammatory skin diseases.
This cross-sectional time-series study included a total of 4,147 patients who had atopic dermatitis (AD) or itch before, during, and after the fires. All the participants were exposed to wildfire-associated air pollution, characterized using three metrics – fire status, the concentration of particulate matter, and satellite-based smoke plume density scores. The primary outcomes of the study were weekly clinic visit counts for AD or itch.
The findings suggested that the rates of visits for AD during the wildfires were 1.49 times higher for pediatric patients and 1.15 times higher for adult patients than nonfire weeks. The findings had zero lag and were adjusted for temperature, patient age, relative humidity, and total patient volume. The adjusted rate ratios for itch visits during wildfire weeks were 1.82 times (pediatric patients) and 1.29 (adult patients) more than non-fire weeks.
The research concluded that short-term exposure to air pollution-related to wildfire was associated with higher hospital visits.
Ref: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/2778632?resultClick=1
