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Air pollution and otitis media in children: A systematic review of literature
Bowatte, Gayan Tham, Rachel Perret, Jennifer L. Bloom, Michael S. Dong, Guanghui Waidyatillake, Nilakshi Bui, Dinh Morgan, Geoffrey G. Jalaludin, Bin Lodge, Caroline J.
Bowatte, Gayan
Tham, Rachel
Perret, Jennifer L.
Bloom, Michael S.
Dong, Guanghui
Waidyatillake, Nilakshi
Bui, Dinh
Morgan, Geoffrey G.
Jalaludin, Bin
Lodge, Caroline J.
Abstract
Young children are particularly vulnerable to otitis media (OM) which globally affects over 80% of children below the age of 3 years. Although there is convincing evidence for an association between environmental tobacco smoke exposure and OM in children, the relationship with ambient air pollution is not clear. We aimed to systematically review the literature on the relationship between ambient air pollution exposure and OM in children. A systematic search was performed in PubMed and EMBASE databases. Of 934 references identified, 24 articles were included. There is an increasing body of evidence supporting an association between higher ambient air pollution exposure and a higher risk of OM in children. While NO2 showed the most consistent association with OM, other specific pollutants showed inconsistent associations. Studies were mainly conducted in high/middle income countries with limited evidence from low-income countries. Although there was a general consensus that higher air pollution exposure is associated with a greater prevalence of OM, the evidence for associations with specific pollutants is inconsistent. More well-designed studies on associations between specific air pollutants as risk factors for OM are warranted, especially in low income countries with high air pollution levels.
Keywords
middle ear infection, otitis media, air pollution
Date
2018
Type
Journal article
Journal
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Book
Volume
15
Issue
2
Page Range
1-19
Article Number
ACU Department
Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Open access
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access
Open