{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T01:44:31Z","timestamp":1760233471722,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,14]],"date-time":"2021-01-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1610582400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Urban air pollution, despite its dangerous health impact, is poorly studied in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA). Epidemiological data on this silent killer are almost non-existent for cities of Cameroon, which seems to be one of the sSA countries where populations are highly exposed to air pollutants. Objective: The present study was conducted in Douala city, and aimed at determining the association of urban air quality degradation with respiratory and systemic health in active populations exposed to air pollutants on a daily basis. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 2017 to 2019 in 1182 active people consisting of motorbikes drivers (MD), outdoor urban workers (UW), and fuel station sellers (FSS). A standardized questionnaire was used to document participants\u2019 data. One hundred and twenty-six (126) motorbike drivers were selected to evaluate the relationship between haematological (white blood cells, platelets) and inflammatory (C-reactive protein\u2014CRP) biomarkers, and air pollution; compared with those of a sixty-five (65) motorbike drivers\u2019 control group enrolled in Dschang, another town situated at about 216.3 km from Douala. Results: Among those recruited in urban Douala, some respiratory disorders such as running nostrils, colds, common fever, sore throats, dry cough, wheezing, chest pain, shortness of breath and systemic symptoms such as headaches, eye irritation, conjunctivitis, watery eyes and general tiredness were very common among MD, UW, and FSS. Regarding biological data, blood monocytes, lymphocytes and CRP were found to be significantly increased among selected MD in Douala, compared to control groups in Dschang. Conversely, a more significant decrease in blood neutrophil level was observed among MD in Douala than control groups in Dschang. These changes of haematological markers were significantly associated with place of residence, site of activity, and daily duration. Conclusion: Our results suggest the risk of suffering from respiratory impairments and systemic symptoms with exposure to urban air pollution among active people working near highways in Douala.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18020665","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,14]],"date-time":"2021-01-14T11:39:14Z","timestamp":1610624354000},"page":"665","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Clinical Manifestations and Changes of Haematological Markers among Active People Living in Polluted City: The Case of Douala, Cameroon"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Tiekwe Joseph","family":"Eloge","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, Dschang, P.O Box 67 Dschang, Cameroon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ongbayokolak","family":"Nadine","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, Dschang, P.O Box 67 Dschang, Cameroon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dabou","family":"Solange","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, Dschang, P.O Box 67 Dschang, Cameroon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ph\u00e9lix Bruno","family":"Telefo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, Dschang, P.O Box 67 Dschang, Cameroon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6340-9300","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Isabella","family":"Annesi-Maesano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epidemiology of Allergic and Respiratory Diseases (EPAR), IPLESP INSERM et Sorbonne Universit\u00e9, 15-21 Rue de l\u2019\u00c9cole de M\u00e9decine, 75006 Paris, France"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gomes, E.C., and Florida-James, G. 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