Effect of COVID-19 and Air Pollution on the Risk Factors Attributed to COPD, Cardiovascular, and Respiratory Diseases

Context: 

A wide range of complications, including chronic respiratory diseases, asthma attacks, cardiovascular diseases (CDs), various cancers (blood, lung, and brain), and even death, can result from air pollution. It is essential to assess the health effects on humans caused by environmental air pollutants and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The purpose of this review study was to investigate the synergistic effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and air pollutants on the risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), CDs, and respiratory diseases (RDs).

Evidence Acquisition: 

An extensive literature review was conducted. A total of 1 005 articles were retrieved from sources, including Google Scholar, Springer, PubMed, Web of Science, and Springer databases. In the final stage of the literature review, a significant association between mortality related to COVID-19 and air pollution emissions was identified, contributing to the risk factors associated with CDs and RDs.

The result showed that air pollution can have synergistic effects on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 viruses and has an increasing effect on the incidence of RDs [such as SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)] and CDs. According to the findings, exposure to toxic air pollutants, whether chronic or acute, can have severe effects, including a decrease in airway ciliary function, damage to the mucous membrane, reduced air sac elasticity, decreased lung capacity, and an increased risk of CDs.

COVID-19 and air pollutants pose a serious threat to human and animal health. Epidemiological studies have shown that in addition to environmental conditions, individual sensitivity plays a key role in the development of conditions such as COPD, CDs, RDs, cancer, and mortality.