Climate change and allergy-related impacts on humans

Abstract

Climate change represents a massive threat to global health that could affect many disease factors in the twenty-first century. The influence of a changing climate on allergic disease has generated interest among the public and the scientific community. Climate change is a continuing process that affects allergy, and there are multiple potential consequences of climatic change on plant phenology. Impacts on pollen may be one of the most important consequences of climate change on human health. A growing number of people are contracting allergic diseases caused by pollen. Airborne pollen is one of the common causatives and triggering agents of respiratory allergy in a changing climate. Moreover, allergenic plants grow in soil disturbed by human activities and deforestation with air pollution, and it is impossible to avoid plants that cause allergies because pollen can travel many kilometers on the wind. Weather conditions may alter pollen concentrations. A number of studies have shown that increased CO2 concentration and atmospheric temperature increase pollen concentration. Hence, most works on the impact of climate change on aeroallergens include its impact on the amount and allergenicity of pollen. It is as yet unknown what complex interactions between pollens, meteorological variables and air pollutants occur as a result of climate change. Considering the effect of climate change on long-term trends in pollen levels and emerging viral infections, it is crucial to report and forecast the associated risk for future human health.