The authors of a recently published study claim that an inflamed nose could be the result of air pollution. The symptoms of rhinitis are more severe in people who are exposed to higher levels of outside air. This is the conclusion reached by the research team of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) supported by “la Caixa”.
Inflamed nose due to air pollution
Rhinitis is a disease of the nasal mucosa that affects between 20% and 50% of the world population. This is mainly characterized by nasal congestion, sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal irritation and in some cases a reduced sense of smell. Despite the high prevalence of rhinitis, people know little about the risk factors, including poor air quality. Researcher Bénédicte Jacquemin, who led this study, explains the logic behind it:
“Rhinitis is associated with asthma, which is closely related to air pollution. For this reason, we thought it would be interesting to investigate whether there is long-term exposure to air. Environmental pollution also plays a decisive role in rhinitis.”
The study analyzed data from 1408 patients with rhinitis from 17 different European cities, including Barcelona and Oviedo, Paris, Antwerp, Umeå and Erfurt. Participants answered a questionnaire about the severity of each of their symptoms and the extent to which the condition affected their daily lives. The air pollution data to which each participant was exposed comes from the European Study on Air Pollution Effects Cohorts (ESCAPE), in which ISGlobal was also involved.
Research the role of air particles
The fine dust or airborne particles, the diameter of which can vary from micrometers to millimeters, are solid or liquid bodies. In this context, they are of particular interest with a diameter of less than 2.5 and less than 10 micrometers. As the study shows, people living in cities with higher salaries report the most severe symptoms. An increase of 5 μg / m 3 for PM2.5 was associated with a 17% higher probability of an inflamed nose. These particles were associated with increased levels of nasal irritation and sneezing. In contrast, exposure to NO 2 increased the amount of nasal discharge.
Particulate matter in the air and NO 2 are both traffic-related pollutants. “The role of these pollutants in the severity of symptoms is likely related to oxidative stress, apoptosis (a process that eliminates irreparably damaged cells) and inflammation,” said study lead author Emilie Burte. “Our results suggest that the effects of airborne particles differ from the effects of gaseous emissions (NO 2). This is probably due to the fact that their respective mechanisms of action cause different inflammatory reactions in the respiratory tract. However, further studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis to confirm.”
“This study contributes to our understanding of rhinitis, a disease that is not fatal, but is a major public health challenge, that affects the quality of people’s daily lives and puts a heavy strain on public funds the prescribed treatments, reduced productivity and absence, “adds Jacquemin.
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