Continental Variation in the Association between Climate Change Indicators and Allergic Diseases

Global warming has emerged as a significant environmental threat with potential impacts on human health. Although the association between climate change and respiratory diseases has been studied extensively, very little focus has been placed on allergic diseases with the account for continental variation. The objective of this study is to explore the associations between indicators of global warming, mean temperature anomaly and greenhouse gas emission, and health outcomes of asthma and atopic dermatitis. Data were obtained from a worldwide health database during the years 2000 to 2020. The analysis was broken down in five continents (Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America). Average temperature anomaly in April and greenhouse gas emissions were selected as global warming indicators. Health outcomes included asthma disability-adjusted life years, asthma incidence, asthma prevalence, atopic dermatitis incidence, and atopic dermatitis prevalence, stratified by three age groups (10–19 years, ≥55 years, and all ages). Multiple linear regression analysis showed regional different correlation between global warming indicators and allergic disease outcomes. Strong correlations were found for prevalence rates of asthma and atopic dermatitis in Asia and in Africa, whereas Europe and North America showed more diversified associations. The effect of global warming on allergic disease might be heterogeneous between and among regions and populations. More evidence is needed to fully understand these associations better and to inform public health mitigation measures.