Airborne pollutants associated with an elevated risk of painful menstruation in women, according to groundbreaking research
In a groundbreaking study published in the open access journal Frontiers in Public Health, researchers from China Medical University Hospital in Taiwan have revealed the major impact of air quality on the risk of dysmenorrhea in women and girls.
Led by Prof Chia-Hung Kao, Director of the department of nuclear medicine and the Center for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) at China Medical University, the study demonstrates a significant link between air pollution and the prevalence of dysmenorrhea. The study's DOI is 10.3389/fpubh.2021.682341.
Dysmenorrhea, a common gynecological disorder, affects between 16-91% of girls and women of reproductive age. Symptoms include cramps and pain in the lower abdomen, lower back and legs, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fainting, weakness, fatigue, and headaches. Dysmenorrhea has no known cure, but its symptoms can be managed with anti-inflammatory drugs and hormonal contraceptives.
The study's results underscore the need for comprehensive strategies to address air pollution to protect the health of women and girls. The cities and regions in Taiwan with the highest annual particulate matter concentrations from 2000 to 2013, associated with an increased risk of dysmenorrhea, included Kaohsiung, Taichung, and Taipei.
The risk to develop dysmenorrhea over a period of 13 years (2000-2013) was up to 33 times higher among Taiwanese women and girls who lived in areas with the highest levels of air pollutants compared to their peers exposed to lower levels of pollutants.
Prof Chung Y. Hsu at the College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, one of the authors, states that the underlying mechanism for the increased risk of dysmenorrhea due to air pollution is not yet known. However, emotional stress in women exposed to air pollutants or higher average levels of the hormone-like prostaglandins in their body might be part of the answer.
The study reinforces the importance of addressing air pollution to reduce the risk of dysmenorrhea in women and girls. Each of NO, NO_, CO, and PM2.5 levels contributed separately to the increased risk of developing dysmenorrhea, but the greatest individual effect was from long-term exposure to high PM2.5.
The study's findings underscore the need for ongoing efforts to improve air quality for the benefit of human health. Prof Hsu concludes that the study illustrates the need for actions by governmental agencies and citizens to reduce air pollution to improve human health. The study's conclusions call for urgent action to address air pollution to improve the health of women and girls. The study's findings also reinforce the need for continued research into the impact of air pollution on women's health, particularly in relation to dysmenorrhea.
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