BACKGROUND: Respiratory diseases are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity, and are exacerbated by air pollution and temperature. AIM: To assess published literature on the effect of air pollution modified by temperature on respiratory mortality and hospital admissions. METHODS: We identified 26,656 papers in PubMed and Web of Science, up to March 2021, and selected for analysis; inclusion criteria included observational studies, short-term air pollution, and temperature exposure. Air pollutants considered were particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μg/m(3), and 10 μg/m(3) (PM(2.5), and PM(10)), ozone (O(3)), and nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)). A random-effects model was used for our meta-analysis. RESULTS: For respiratory mortality we found that when the effect PM(10) is modified by high temperatures there is an increased pooled Odds Ratio [OR, 95% Confidence Interval (CI)] of 1.021 (1.008 to 1.034) and for the effect of O(3) the pooled OR is 1.006 (1.001-1.012) during the warm season. For hospital admissions, the effects of PM(10) and O(3) respectively, during the warm season found an increased pooled OR of 1.011 (0.999-1.024), and 1.015 (0.995-1.036). In our analysis for low temperatures, results were inconsistent. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to air pollution when modified by high temperature is likely to increase the odds of respiratory mortality and hospital admissions. Analysis on the interaction effect of air pollution and temperature on health outcomes is a relatively new research field and results are largely inconsistent; therefore, further research is encouraged to establish a more conclusive conclusion on the strength and direction of this effect.