Air pollution and urbanicity: common risk factors for dementia and schizophrenia?

摘要

Environmental pollution is a global problem and the subject of increasing worldwide public health concern.1 In particular, air pollution is regarded as the largest single environmental risk to health. More than 80% of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed the WHO limits, and all regions of the world are affected. Declines in urban air quality increase the risk of cerebrovascular accidents, coronary artery disease, lung carcinoma, and chronic and acute respiratory diseases (eg, asthma, obstructive lung disease, and acute lower respiratory infections). Associations between air pollution and central nervous system diseases have also been shown,2 but we believe that relatively little attention has been given to the possible role of pollution as a risk factor for neurodevelopmental (eg, schizophrenia) and neurodegenerative (eg, dementia) diseases.