The effects of air pollution on the salivary IgA levels in children

Abstract

The effects of air pollution on the human health and morbidity and mortality are well demonstrated. Air pollution affects immune system and may have effect on immunoglobulins. In this study we aim to evaluated the effects of air pollution on the salivary IgA levels in children. In this descriptive study, 44 children from Tabriz industrial city (polluted city) and 44 children from Kaleibar city (a Tabriz suburban area) with similar socioeconomic status were selected. Saliva samples were taken and salivary IgA levels were compared between groups. All statistical tests were performed using SPSS for windows Version 21. Independent t test was used to compare quantitative data between groups(P-Value=0.001). The mean levels of the salivary IgA in Tabriz city was significantly lower than was significantly lower than Kaleibar (9.73±1.57 vs. 12.25±4.4 mg/dl, p=0.001). Similar to the literature, we observed that that the salivary IgA levels are decreased in areas with air pollutions. © 2016, Oriental Scientific Publishing Company. All rights reserved.