Abstract:To evaluate the association between short-term exposure to PM2.5 and ozone(O3) and allergen-induced asthma exacerbations in children in a specific region, a time-stratified case-crossover design was employed, including 634 pediatric allergic asthma cases treated at a tertiary hospital in a specific region from January 2019 to December 2023. High-resolution atmospheric pollutant and meteorological data were utilized. Conditional logistic regression models analyzed the associations between short-term exposures to PM2.5, SO2, NO2, O3 and asthma exacerbations, assessing the impact of pollutants on asthma triggered by various allergens. The study found that short-term exposures to PM2.5 and O3 significantly increased the risk of acute asthma exacerbations in children. For each 13.46μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration, the risk of asthma exacerbation in girls increased by 2.2%(95% CI: 0.9%~3.6%), and the risk in children with dust mite-induced asthma increased by 1.2%(95% CI: 0.1%~3.6%). For each 13.65μg/m3 increase in the 8-hour moving average O3 concentration, the risk of asthma exacerbation in boys increased by 1.3%(95% CI: 0.1%~2.6%), and the risk in children with dust mite-induced asthma increased by 1.1%(95% CI: 0%~2.2%). The effects of PM2.5 and O3 exhibited notable lag patterns, peaking at lag 3 days and lag 2 days, respectively. Short-term exposures to PM2.5 and O3 are important risk factors for acute exacerbation of allergic asthma in children, with observed sex-specific differences and lag effects. Targeted health interventions for susceptible children should be strengthened during periods of high pollution to inform air pollution control and protect children's health.