Global Associations of Air Pollution and Conjunctivitis Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Renchao Chen, Jun Yang, Chunlin Zhang, Bixia Li, Stéphanie Bergmann, Fangfang Zeng, Hao Wang and Boguang Wang
Additional contact information
Renchao Chen: Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
Jun Yang: Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
Chunlin Zhang: Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
Bixia Li: Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
Stéphanie Bergmann: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht 6200 MD, The Netherlands
Fangfang Zeng: Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
Hao Wang: Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
Boguang Wang: Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-21

Abstract: (1) Background: As the most common eye disease diagnosed in emergency departments, conjunctivitis has caused serious health and economic burdens worldwide. However, whether air pollution may be a risk factor for conjunctivitis is still inconsistent among current evidence. (2) Methods: We searched the literature on the relationship between air pollution and conjunctivitis in multiple English databases before 18 March 2019. Meta-analysis, meta-regression, and funnel plots were used to integrate the data, identify the sources of bias, and determine the publication bias, respectively. (3) Results: A total of 2450 papers were found, 12 of which were finally included. The pooled relative risk for each 10 μg/m 3 increase of air pollution on conjunctivitis was 1.0006 (95%CI: 0.9993–1.0019) for CO, 1.0287 (1.0120–1.0457) for NO 2 , 1.0089 (1.0030–1.0149) for O 3 , 1.0004 (0.9976–1.0032) for PM 2.5 , 1.0033 (0.9982–1.0083) for PM 10 , and 1.0045 (0.9908–1.0185) for SO 2 . In the subgroup, PM 2.5 and O 3 had a greater impact on conjunctivitis risk in women than in men, and people <18 years old than those ≥18 years old. Relative humidity significantly modified the risk of O 3 on conjunctivitis ( p = 0.023), explaining 45% of the between-study heterogeneity. (4) Conclusion: Globally, air pollution has considerable health risks for conjunctivitis. Females and the youth were more vulnerable to PM 2.5 , NO 2 , and O 3 . Reductions of air pollution levels are still warranted to protect the vulnerable populations.

Keywords: air pollution; conjunctivitis disease; vulnerable populations; systematic review and meta-analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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