E-ISSN 1658-7820
 

Review Article
Online Published: 28 Jan 2026
 


Health consequences of air pollution: a systematic review

Samar Aljohani, Thikra Ali M. Alwadai, Mona Fahad S. Alanazi, Sadeem Abdullah Alruwaili, Abdulaziz Ahmed Mubhi, Mohammad Fahad A. Aljuhani, Amirah Radhi Alruwaili, Lana Ahmed Alamrani, Atheer Mansour Alatawi.


Abstract
Air pollution remains a significant health issue that not only affects human health but also impacts the environment globally. It is regarded as the leading cause of respiratory diseases, which increased rapidly throughout the 21st century. The primary sources of air pollution were industrialization, urbanization, and unsustainable human activities. This network analysis paper examined medical literature related to air pollution and associated health problems. The paper constituted a systematic review of literature that included various study types, such as epidemiological studies, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, and cross-sectional studies. Worldwide, air pollution was a major contributor to diseases that caused nearly 6.7 million deaths annually, making it a leading cause of premature mortality. Publicly available data from 2017 indicated that indoor air pollution alone was responsible for approximately 1.8 million deaths that year. The most susceptible populations, including children, pregnant women, the elderly, and individuals with pre-existing medical conditions, were the most affected. Evidence from various sources confirmed that air pollution contributed to a wide range of health problems, the nature of which often depended on a person's age.

Key words: Air pollution, particulate matter, health effects, systematic review, mortality, neurodevelopmental disorders.


 
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How to Cite this Article
Pubmed Style

Aljohani S, Alwadai TAM, Alanazi MFS, Alruwaili SA, Mubhi AA, Aljuhani MFA, Alruwaili AR, Alamrani LA, Alatawi AM. Health consequences of air pollution: a systematic review. IJMDC. 2026; 10(2): 779-789. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767468726


Web Style

Aljohani S, Alwadai TAM, Alanazi MFS, Alruwaili SA, Mubhi AA, Aljuhani MFA, Alruwaili AR, Alamrani LA, Alatawi AM. Health consequences of air pollution: a systematic review. https://www.ijmdc.com/?mno=305463 [Access: June 27, 2026]. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767468726


AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Aljohani S, Alwadai TAM, Alanazi MFS, Alruwaili SA, Mubhi AA, Aljuhani MFA, Alruwaili AR, Alamrani LA, Alatawi AM. Health consequences of air pollution: a systematic review. IJMDC. 2026; 10(2): 779-789. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767468726



Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Aljohani S, Alwadai TAM, Alanazi MFS, Alruwaili SA, Mubhi AA, Aljuhani MFA, Alruwaili AR, Alamrani LA, Alatawi AM. Health consequences of air pollution: a systematic review. IJMDC. (2026), [cited June 27, 2026]; 10(2): 779-789. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767468726



Harvard Style

Aljohani, S., Alwadai, . T. A. M., Alanazi, . M. F. S., Alruwaili, . S. A., Mubhi, . A. A., Aljuhani, . M. F. A., Alruwaili, . A. R., Alamrani, . L. A. & Alatawi, . A. M. (2026) Health consequences of air pollution: a systematic review. IJMDC, 10 (2), 779-789. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767468726



Turabian Style

Aljohani, Samar, Thikra Ali M. Alwadai, Mona Fahad S. Alanazi, Sadeem Abdullah Alruwaili, Abdulaziz Ahmed Mubhi, Mohammad Fahad A. Aljuhani, Amirah Radhi Alruwaili, Lana Ahmed Alamrani, and Atheer Mansour Alatawi. 2026. Health consequences of air pollution: a systematic review. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 10 (2), 779-789. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767468726



Chicago Style

Aljohani, Samar, Thikra Ali M. Alwadai, Mona Fahad S. Alanazi, Sadeem Abdullah Alruwaili, Abdulaziz Ahmed Mubhi, Mohammad Fahad A. Aljuhani, Amirah Radhi Alruwaili, Lana Ahmed Alamrani, and Atheer Mansour Alatawi. "Health consequences of air pollution: a systematic review." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 10 (2026), 779-789. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767468726



MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Aljohani, Samar, Thikra Ali M. Alwadai, Mona Fahad S. Alanazi, Sadeem Abdullah Alruwaili, Abdulaziz Ahmed Mubhi, Mohammad Fahad A. Aljuhani, Amirah Radhi Alruwaili, Lana Ahmed Alamrani, and Atheer Mansour Alatawi. "Health consequences of air pollution: a systematic review." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 10.2 (2026), 779-789. Print. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767468726



APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Aljohani, S., Alwadai, . T. A. M., Alanazi, . M. F. S., Alruwaili, . S. A., Mubhi, . A. A., Aljuhani, . M. F. A., Alruwaili, . A. R., Alamrani, . L. A. & Alatawi, . A. M. (2026) Health consequences of air pollution: a systematic review. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 10 (2), 779-789. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767468726





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