Digital Epidemiology of Allergic Conjunctivitis and Rhinitis in Saudi Arabia: Association with Air Pollutions and Meteorological Factors

Background climate changes and air pollutions are potential drivers for allergic conjunctivitis and rhinitis. In arid region such as Saudi Arabia, limited studies have explored the influence of environmental factors on health diseases. Purpose this study aims to investigate seasonality of allergic conjunctivitis and rhinitis, and to explore association with air pollutants and climate changes in Saudi Arabia using Google Trends (GTs). Methods Quasi-Poisson Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) combined with Distributed Lag Non-linear Model (DLNM) were used to explore the effect of air pollutions and climate changes on population-level interest on allergic conjunctivitis and rhinitis. Results Both allergic diseases demonstrated seasonal pattern, with peak in autumn and spring. Relative risks (RRs) for ocular allergy given increase in PM2.5, PM10, NH₃, CO, and BC concentration were at lag 0 (RR = 1.114, 95% CI: 1.020–1.217), (RR = 1.079, 95% CI: 1.007–1.155), and (RR = 1.286, 95% CI: 1.081–1.530), (RR = 1.011, 95% CI: 1.003–1.019), and (RR = 1.506, 95% CI: 1.118–2.028), respectively. Ocular allergy may be more heighten to ambient environmental irritants. In contrast, allergic rhinitis search interest was governed primarily by seasonality. Conclusion this study highlight association between both allergic conjunctivitis and rhinitis with air pollution and climate. This can offer evidence for regional air quality policy decisions and implementing preventive measures to reduce the risk of allergies burden.