A new European study with the participation of GCAT reveals that the combination of urban environmental factors increases asthma risk

Researchers from GCAT|Genomes for Life, a strategic project of the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), have taken part in a study on the effects of various environmental factors on the risk of developing asthma over the course of life. The study involved nearly 350,000 participants from European cohorts and used geolocation technologies and satellite imagery to estimate exposure to different environmental elements. The results show a clear link between urban conditions and an increased risk of asthma.

Asthma affects approximately 260 million people worldwide. Although it is already known that factors such as air pollution and lack of green spaces play a role in this disease, their combined impact has not yet been studied in depth.

A new European study, published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe and conducted as part of the EXPANSE project, is the first to show how multiple components of the so-called urban exposome (urban environmental factors) jointly contribute to asthma risk.

A large-scale European study

The analysis was based on data from 349,037 participants from 14 European cohorts, ranging in age from birth to 70 years. Catalonia played a key role thanks to the participation of the GCAT'Genomes for Life cohort, which has a strategic role in this comprehensive research as the only representative from the Mediterranean region of Europe.

The scientific team used georeferenced mapping data and satellite imagery to estimate each person's environmental exposure with high resolution. Among the factors analysed were air pollution, vegetation cover, built surface density, artificial night-time light, and average annual temperature. This methodology allowed them to identify common exposure patterns across Europe and move towards a more precise and individualised analysis of urban residential environments.

The combined impact of the urban environment on asthma

When analysing each environmental factor individually, the researchers were able to confirm findings from previous studies. They found a higher risk of asthma in adults exposed to high levels of pollutants, and also an increased risk for both children and adults living in densely built urban areas with few green spaces.

The results become even more significant when considering the combined effects of different urban environmental factors. The environmental risk score obtained shows a strong correlation with asthma development, suggesting that coordinated urban interventions could prevent up to 11.6% of new cases, a percentage representing the number of new asthma cases attributed to environmental exposures above average risk levels. This cumulative risk affects people of all ages, but is especially marked in women, who showed a stronger association.

Rethinking the city model to protect public health

This research confirms the value of the urban exposome as a key tool for understanding and preventing chronic diseases such as asthma, and highlights the importance of health-focused environmental policies, both at the local and European level.

According to Dr Rafael de Cid, scientific director of the GCAT project and contributing researcher to the European EXPANSE project: "This study provides strong evidence for the need to rethink our city model. Incorporating environmental criteria into urban planning can significantly reduce the incidence of chronic diseases and improve population quality of life".

A European project to understand the effects of the urban exposome

The EXPANSE project, led from the Netherlands by Dr Roel Vermeulen and funded by the European Union's Horizon program, investigates the impact of the urban exposome over the life course. Within this framework, GCAT is actively collaborating with the European consortium to analyse how environmental exposures influence the development of chronic diseases, including respiratory, cardiovascular and metabolic conditions. This line of research is currently ongoing and is led by Natàlia Blay, analyst at GCAT, who also contributed to the study published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe.

Close collaboration with ISGlobal teams, led by Dr Cathryn Tonne and Dr Manolis Kogevinas, has been key to the detailed mapping of environmental data within the GCAT cohort, as well as its integration into several ongoing research projects.

A second EXPANSE study maps the European exposome

In parallel, a complementary study from the same EXPANSE consortium has established the foundations for assessing the environmental impact on asthma at a European scale. This work, recently published in Environment International, developed the first high-resolution models and exposure maps for 33 key external exposome factors between 2000 and 2020.

Researchers created detailed maps covering physical-chemical elements as well as social or dietary conditions, using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) technology and satellite data to estimate personalised environmental exposure by address. These maps enabled precise spatiotemporal analysis and revealed high stability of exposures over time, which strengthens their usefulness for long-term epidemiological studies.

References

Yu Z, Kress S, Blay N, Gregor P, Kukk HM, Leskien M, Majewska R, Oosterwegel M, Szabó D, Have M, Klanova J, Mikeš O, Bergström A, Bussalleu A, de Cid R, Dalecká A, Dadvand P, Van Dorsselaer S, Fischer K, Melen E. 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. 2025 May 15. DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2025.101314.

de Hoogh K, Hoek G, Flückiger B, Bussalleu A, Vienneau D, Jeong A, Probst-Hensch N, de Pinho MGM, Mackenbach JD, Lakerveld J, Beulens JW, Castagné R, Delpierre C, Kelly-Irving M, Shen Y, Huss A, Dadvand P, Pradas MC, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Vlaanderen J, Vermeulen R. A Europe-wide characterization of the external exposome: A spatio-temporal analysis. Environment International. 2025 Jun;200:109542. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2025.109542.