The interplay between environmental exposures and COVID-19 risks in the health of children

作者：Peter D. Sly, Brittany A. Trottier, Catherine M. Bulka, Stephania A. Cormier, Julius N. Fobil, Rebecca C. Fry, Kyoung‐Woong Kim, Steven R. Kleeberger, Pushpam Kumar, Philip J. Landrigan, Karin C. Lodrop Carlsen, Antonio Pascale, Fernando P. Polack, Mathuros Ruchirawat, Heather J. Zar, William A. Suk · 发表于：Environmental Health · 年份：2021 · DOI：10.1186/s12940-021-00716-z · 被引用次数：19 · 研究领域：Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging、Immune responses and vaccinations、COVID-19 Impact on Reproduction

BACKGROUND: An unusual feature of SARS-Cov-2 infection and the COVID-19 pandemic is that children are less severely affected than adults. This is especially paradoxical given the epidemiological links between poor air quality and increased COVID-19 severity in adults and that children are generally more vulnerable than adults to the adverse consequences of air pollution. OBJECTIVES: To identify gaps in knowledge about the factors that protect children from severe SARS-Cov-2 infection even in the face of air pollution, and to develop a transdisciplinary research strategy to address these gaps. METHODS: An international group of researchers interested in children's environmental health was invited to identify knowledge gaps and to develop research questions to close these gaps. DISCUSSION: Key research questions identified include: what are the effects of SAR-Cov-2 infection during pregnancy on the developing fetus and child; what is the impact of age at infection and genetic susceptibility on disease severity; why do some children with COVID-19 infection develop toxic shock and Kawasaki-like symptoms; what are the impacts of toxic environmental exposures including poor air quality, chemical and metal exposures on innate immunity, especially in the respiratory epithelium; what is the possible role of a "dirty" environment in conveying protection - an example of the "hygiene hypothesis"; and what are the long term health effects of SARS-Cov-2 infection in early life. CONCLUSION:...