A Time-Series Study of the Effect of Air Pollution on Outpatient Visits for Acne Vulgaris in Beijing

摘要

Background/Aims: There is increasing evidence that exposure to air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM 2.5 , PM 10 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), and sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), might aggravate preexisting skin diseases such as eczema and urticaria. Here we investigated if a possible link exists between air pollution and acne vulgaris. We assessed the association between ambient air pollutant concentrations and the number of visits of patients for acne vulgaris to a dermatological outpatient clinic in Beijing, China, from April 1, 2012 to April 30, 2014. Methods: In this time period, 59,325 outpatient visits were recorded because of acne vulgaris. Daily air pollution parameters for PM 10 , PM 2.5 , SO 2 , and NO 2 were obtained from the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center. Results: Increased concentrations of ambient PM 2.5 , PM 10 , and NO 2 were significantly associated with increased numbers of outpatient visits for acne vulgaris over the 2 years. These effects could be observed for NO 2 in a single-pollutant model and for PM 2.5 , PM 10 , and NO 2 in 2-pollutant models, which are closer to real-life exposure. Of note, these effects were specific because they were not observed for increased SO 2 concentrations, which even showed negative correlations in all test models. Conclusion: This study provides indirect evidence for a link between acne vulgaris and air pollution.