Climate change and skin disease: a review of the English-language literature

Abstract

Climate change describes variation in regional or global climates over time. The question of how climate change affects skin disease remains largely unanswered.

We reviewed the English-language literature describing the influence of climate change on skin. Relatively few publications detail aspects of how climate change affects skin.

Direct effects include the effects of extreme weather events, and indirect effects include the effects of longer-term changes in patterns of infections and infestations worldwide. The effect of climate change on skin is unclear, and more studies on this topic are needed.

Keywords

• vector ixodes-scapularis
• ecological niche models
• soft-tissue infections
• cutaneous leishmaniasis
• tsunami survivors
• range expansion
• united-states
• new-orleans
• transmission
• variability