Impact of climate change on pollen allergy and respiratory health in children

Global warming and climate change are unequivocal events caused mainly by the increasing atmospheric concentrations of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, related to human industrial growth. Their effects have been described as the biggest global health threat of the 21st century: as far as pollen allergy, global warming has a big impact on plants life-cycle with earlier and longer pollen season as well as higher pollen production, putting adults and children affected by respiratory allergic disease, such as asthma and allergic rhinitis, at risk for exacerbations. Extreme weather events may play a role too, with thunderstorms causing a higher respirable allergen loads in the air and floods favoring indoor and outdoor growth of moulds. In collaboration with ARPAT we are going to collect data on pollen seasons since 2013 in Lido di Camaiore, near Pisa, and correlate them with clinical data from pollen allergic children in follow up at our Pediatric Department, especially in terms of exacerbations and symptoms control. Our pilot study on airborne pollen trends will shed light on ongoing pollen changes in our area as well as their possible correlations with clinical outcomes in children with asthma and/or allergic rhinitis.