Ozone Exacerbates Symptoms in COPD Patients
39 senior adults with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were followed by their physicians in Paris, France, during a 14-month period.
Daily levels of PM10, ozone, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide were monitored.
No evidence of symptom exacerbation and PM10, SO2, or NO2 was observed. However, the 8-hour average ozone concentration was associated with exacerbation of COPD symptoms.
According to the researchers, “our results are consistent with those of toxicological studies that have shown the inflammatory mechanisms of O3. The recruitment of inflammatory cells into the lung presents a risk of tissue damage through the release of toxic mediators by activated inflammatory cells. Perhaps this phenomenon would be more serious among patients suffering from COPD, in whom a pre-existent inflammation of the small or large airways would be constant.”
Desqueyroux, H., Pujet, J.C., Prosper, M., Le Moullec, Y., Momas, I. Effects of Air Pollution on Adults With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Archives of Environmental Health, Vol. 57, No. 6, pp. 554-560, Nov.- Dec. 2002.
The National Library of Medicine [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/] offers the abstract online.
