One in ten asthma cases can be avoided with a better urban environment, reveals study

During the study period, nearly 7,500 of the study participants developed asthma as children or adults. The researchers found that 11.6 per cent of asthma cases could be explained by the combination of environmental factors. Or, to put it another way, in a favourable environment, approximately one in ten people with asthma would not have developed the disease. The combination of air pollution, lack of green spaces, and dense urban development was most relevant for the development of asthma.

“This is useful for politicians and others involved in urban planning. The method makes it possible to identify risk areas in existing urban areas, but it can also be used when planning future urban environments,” says Erik Melén, professor at the Department of Clinical Research and Education, Södersjukhuset, and last author of the study.

The next step for the researchers is to examine blood samples from some of the study participants. The aim is to identify their metabolome, i.e., a composite picture of the body's metabolism and breakdown products. The purpose is to understand how external environmental factors affect the body, which could provide a better understanding of how asthma develops.

Reference:

Yu, ZhebinMetspalu, Andres et al., External exposome and incident asthma across the life course in 14 European cohorts: a prospective analysis within the EXPANSE project, The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, DOI:10.1016/j.lanepe.2025.101314.