Air pollution as important cofactor in COVID-19 deaths

Background The mortality from COVID-19 is increased in the presence of cardiopulmonary comorbidities. Air pollution is also associated with increased mortality, primarily mediated by cardiopulmonary diseases. Observations at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic showed that mortality from COVID-19 was increased, especially in regions with higher levels of air pollution. The influence of air pollution on the course of the disease in COVID-19 is unclear. Method A selective literature search of studies up to the beginning of April 2021 was carried out in PubMed on the association between air pollution and COVID-19 mortality using the search terms "air pollution AND/OR COVID-19/coronavirus/SARS-CoV-2 AND/OR mortality". Results Current research shows that around 15% of global COVID-19 deaths are due to air pollution. The proportion of COVID-19 deaths from air pollution is 19% in Europe, 17% in North America and 27% in East Asia. This role of air pollution in COVID-19 deaths has now been confirmed by various studies from the USA, Italy and England. Air pollution and COVID-19 result in similar damage to the cardiopulmonary system, which may explain the link between air pollution and increased COVID-19 mortality. Conclusion The environmental aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic shown here calls for greater efforts to be made towards effective measures to reduce anthropogenic emissions, which cause both air pollution and climate change.