Climate Change and Childhood Respiratory Health: A Call to Action for Paediatricians

Maria Elisa Di Cicco, Giuliana Ferrante, Doriana Amato, Antonino Capizzi, Carlo De Pieri, Valentina Agnese Ferraro, Maria Furno, Valentina Tranchino and Stefania La Grutta
Additional contact information
Maria Elisa Di Cicco: Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital of Pisa, via Roma 67, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Giuliana Ferrante: Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Piazza delle Cliniche 2, 90127 Palermo, Italy
Doriana Amato: Pediatric Medicine Unit and Pediatric Emergency Department, Pediatric Hospital Giovanni XXIII, via Giovanni Amendola 207, 70123 Bari, Italy
Antonino Capizzi: Pediatrics Unit, S. Paolo and S. Corona Hospital, via Genova 30, 17100 Savona, Italy
Carlo De Pieri: Pediatrics Clinic, Department of Medicine, University Hospital of Udine, Piazzale S.M. della Misericordia 15, 33100 Udine, Italy
Valentina Agnese Ferraro: Unit of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of Padova, via Nicolò Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy
Maria Furno: Pediatrics Unit, S. Paolo and S. Corona Hospital, via Genova 30, 17100 Savona, Italy
Valentina Tranchino: Pediatric Medicine Unit and Pediatric Emergency Department, Pediatric Hospital Giovanni XXIII, via Giovanni Amendola 207, 70123 Bari, Italy
Stefania La Grutta: National Research Council of Italy, Institute for Research and Biomedical Innovation, IRIB, Via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-12

Abstract: Climate change (CC) is one of the main contributors to health emergencies worldwide. CC appears to be closely interrelated with air pollution, as some pollutants like carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and black carbon are naturally occurring greenhouse gases. Air pollution may enhance the allergenicity of some plants and, also, has an adverse effect on respiratory health. Children are a uniquely vulnerable group that suffers disproportionately from CC burden. The increasing global warming related to CC has a big impact on plants’ lifecycles, with earlier and longer pollen seasons, as well as higher pollen production, putting children affected by asthma and allergic rhinitis at risk for exacerbations. Extreme weather events may play a role too, not only in the exacerbations of allergic respiratory diseases but, also, in favouring respiratory infections. Even though paediatricians are already seeing the impacts of CC on their patients, their knowledge about CC-related health outcomes with specific regards to children’s respiratory health is incomplete. This advocates for paediatricians’ increased awareness and a better understanding of the CC impact on children’s respiratory health. Having a special responsibility for children, paediatricians should actively be involved in policies aimed to protect the next generation from CC-related adverse health effects. Hence, there is an urgent need for them to take action and successfully educate families about CC issues. This paper aims at reviewing the evidence of CC-related environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, rainfall and extreme events on respiratory allergic diseases and respiratory infections in children and proposing specific actionable items for paediatricians to deal with CC-related health issues in their clinical practice.

Keywords: allergic rhinitis; asthma; children; climate change; paediatricians; respiratory infections (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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