The proximity of an individual’s residence to a major road may be linked to the risk of developing eczema, according to an article summarizing recent research published in HealthDay. In the new study—published by Nevid et al in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology—researchers examined the cases of 7,384 patients aged 0 to 18 years who had eczema and 7,241 controls in the same age group. After determining the proximity to which each individual lived to a major road with an average annual daily traffic of over 10,000 vehicles, the researchers discovered that the individuals’ risk of developing eczema decreased by 21% for every 10-fold increase in the distance from these roads—and that those who lived more than 0.6 miles from a major road had at a 27% decreased risk of developing the condition compared with those living within 0.3 miles. The researchers concluded that more studies will need to be conducted in order to better understand the correlation between eczema and living close to a major road.
May 25, 2023