1. Impact of climate change on immune responses and barrier defense.
- Author
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Skevaki, Chrysanthi, Nadeau, Kari C., Rothenberg, Marc E., Alahmad, Barrak, Mmbaga, Blandina T., Masenga, Gileard G., Sampath, Vanitha, Christiani, David C., Haahtela, Tari, and Renz, Harald
- Abstract
Climate change is not just jeopardizing the health of our planet but is also increasingly affecting our immune health. There is an expanding body of evidence that climate-related exposures such as air pollution, heat, wildfires, extreme weather events, and biodiversity loss significantly disrupt the functioning of the human immune system. These exposures manifest in a broad range of stimuli, including antigens, allergens, heat stress, pollutants, microbiota changes, and other toxic substances. Such exposures pose a direct and indirect threat to our body's primary line of defense, the epithelial barrier, affecting its physical integrity and functional efficacy. Furthermore, these climate-related environmental stressors can hyperstimulate the innate immune system and influence adaptive immunity—notably, in terms of developing and preserving immune tolerance. The loss or failure of immune tolerance can instigate a wide spectrum of noncommunicable diseases such as autoimmune conditions, allergy, respiratory illnesses, metabolic diseases, obesity, and others. As new evidence unfolds, there is a need for additional research in climate change and immunology that covers diverse environments in different global settings and uses modern biologic and epidemiologic tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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