Air pollution and hospital admissions for congestive heart failure in a tropical city: Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
This study was undertaken to determine whether there was an association between air pollutant levels and hospital admissions for congestive heart failure (CHF) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Hospital admissions for CHF and ambient air pollution data for Kaohsiung were obtained for the period 1996-2004. The relative risk of hospital admission was estimated using a case-crossover approach, controlling for weather variables, day of the week, seasonality, and long-term time trends. In the single-pollutant models, on warm days (> 25 degrees C) statistically significant positive associations were found in all pollutants except sulfur dioxide (SO(2)). On cool days (< 25 degrees C), all pollutants were significantly associated with CHF admissions. For the two-pollutant model, CO and O(3) were significant in combination with each of the other four pollutants on warm days. On cool days, NO(2) remained statistically significant in all the two-pollutant models. This study provides evidence that higher levels of ambient air pollutants increase the risk of hospital admissions for CHF and that the effects of air pollutants on hospital admissions for CHF were temperature dependent.
College of Health Sciences, Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
I-Ming
IM
Lee
Shang-Shyue
SS
Tsai
Chi-Kung
CK
Ho
Hui-Fen
HF
Chiu
Chun Yuh
CY
Yang
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014329:Tropical Climate / Q000009:adverse effects*
D000393:Air Pollutants