Air Pollution and Otitis Media in Children: A Systematic Review of Literature.

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 sh

SUBMITTER: Bowatte G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5858326 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature