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Cited by 25Air Quality and Health ImpactsClimate Change and Health ImpactsIndoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure

Short-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Increased Emergency Room Visits for Skin Diseases in Beijing, China

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Wang, Wanzhou, Zhang, Wenlou, Zhao, Jingjing, Li, Hongyu, Wu, Jun, Deng, Furong, Ma, Qingbian, Guo, Xinbiao·2021·Toxics
DOI 10.3390/toxics9050108PMC PMC8151157
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Abstract

Skin diseases have become a global concern. This study aims to evaluate the associations between ambient air pollution and emergency room visits for skin diseases under the background of improving air quality in China. Based on 45,094 cases from a general hospital and fixed-site monitoring environmental data from 2014–2019 in Beijing, China, this study used generalized additive models with quasi-Poisson regression to estimate the exposure–health associations at lag 0–1 to lag 0–7. PM2.5 and NO2 exposure were associated with increased emergency room visits for total skin diseases (ICD10: L00-L99). Positive associations of PM2.5, PM10, O3 and NO2 with dermatitis/eczema (ICD-10: L20–30), as well as SO2 and NO2 with urticaria (ICD-10: L50) visits were also found. For instance, a 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with increases of 0.7% (95%CI: 0.2%, 1.2%) in total skin diseases visits at lag 0–5 and 1.1% (95%CI: 0.6%, 1.7%) in dermatitis/eczema visits at lag 0–1, respectively. For PM2.5, PM10 and CO, stronger annual associations were typically observed in the high-pollution (2014) and low-pollution (2018/2019) years. For instance, a 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 at lag 0–5 was associated with increases of 1.8% (95%CI: 1.0%, 2.6%) and 2.3% (95%CI: 0.4%, 4.3%) in total skin disease visits in 2014 and 2018, respectively. Our study emphasizes the necessity of controlling the potential health hazard of air pollutants on skin, although significant achievements in air quality control have been made in China.

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  • Most studies analyzed the lag effect between 0 and 7 days for urticaria, with the highest association observed at lag 2-5.

    “Most studies analyzed the lag effect between 0 and 7 days, with the highest association observed at lag 2–5 [72–74, 78, 79].”

    From Air Pollution and Skin Diseases: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological Evidence (2026) · cites this paper as [73]

    The Statistical Analysis section says this Beijing study examined moving-average exposures from lag 0–1 through lag 0–7, including urticaria visits. The cited passages do not establish that most studies used this range or that the strongest association for urticaria occurred at lag 2–5; the lag 0–5 example in Results §3.3 concerns total skin diseases, not urticaria. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Studies have reported a higher risk of urticaria in younger and older age groups, in female individuals and in the cold season.

    “However, studies have reported a higher risk in younger and older age groups, in female individuals and in the cold season [73, 74, 77, 78].”

    From Air Pollution and Skin Diseases: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological Evidence (2026) · cites this paper as [73]

    The Results (section 3.2) report stronger associations between urticaria visits and particulate pollution in the cold season, and greater susceptibility among female individuals to PM2.5 exposure. They report stronger SO2 and NO2 associations in people aged ≥40 than in those aged ≤18, not higher risk in both younger and older groups. The Discussion (section 4) also says the study did not analyze people aged ≥65 separately. These are differences in pollution-associated urticaria visits, rather than general urticaria risk. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The short-term association between air pollution and hospital visits for urticaria was higher for gaseous pollutants such as NO2 and SO2.

    “the short-term association between AP and hospital visits for urticaria was higher for gaseous pollutants such as NO2 and SO2 [72–74]”

    From Air Pollution and Skin Diseases: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological Evidence (2026) · cites this paper as [73]

    The Discussion reports positive associations of short-term SO2 and NO2 exposure with emergency-room visits for urticaria in Beijing. It does not establish that these associations were higher than those for particulate or other pollutants; the stronger associations described in the Results concern particular age groups or seasons, not a comparison of pollutant types. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Wang, W., Zhang, W., Zhao, J., Li, H., Wu, J., Deng, F., Ma, Q., & Guo, X.
Affiliations
  • Peking University (CN)
  • Peking University Third Hospital (CN)
Corresponding author
  • Deng, Furong
  • Ma, Qingbian
ORCID
Venue
Toxics
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2021-05-12
Volume
9
Issue
5
Pages
108
ISSN
2305-6304 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/toxics9050108
PMC
PMC8151157
OpenAlex
W3163515278
Cited by
25
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 2
FWCI
1.69
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Toxics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • Natural Science Foundation of China (22076006, 82073506)
  • the Ministry of Ecology and Environment: the research of national-level ecological and environmental planning (14430019)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Air Quality and Health Impacts
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Climate Change and Health Impacts
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure
Keywords
ambient air pollution, skin diseases, emergency department visits, PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, skin inflammation, atopic dermatitis, urticaria, short-term exposure, air quality, Beijing

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