Coarse Particulate Air Pollution Associated with Increased Risk of Hospital Admissions for Respiratory Diseases in a Tropical City, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
This study was undertaken to determine whether there was an association between coarse particles (PM₂.₅-₁₀) levels and frequency of hospital admissions for respiratory diseases (RD) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Hospital admissions for RD including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and pneumonia, and ambient air pollution data levels for Kaohsiung were obtained for the period from 2006 to 2010. The relative risk of hospital admissions for RD was estimated using a case-crossover approach, controlling for weather variables, day of the week, seasonality, and long-term time trends. For the single pollutant model (without adjustment for other pollutants), increased rate of admissions for RD were significantly associated with higher coarse PM levels only on cool days (<25 °C), with a 10 µg/m³ elevation in PM₂.₅-₁₀ concentrations associated with a 3% (95% CI = 1%-5%) rise in COPD admissions, 4% (95% CI = 1%-7%) increase in asthma admissions, and 3% (95% CI = 2%-4%) rise in pneumonia admissions. No significant associations were found between coarse particle levels and the number of hospital admissions for RD on warm days. In the two-pollutant models, PM₂.₅-₁₀ levels remained significantly correlated with higher rate of RD admissions even controlling for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, or ozone on cool days. This study provides evidence that higher levels of PM₂.₅-₁₀ enhance the risk of hospital admissions for RD on cool days.
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan. cmhkmu@gmail.com.|Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan. cmhkmu@gmail.com.
Meng-Hsuan
MH
Cheng
Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan. chiu358@yahoo.com.tw.
Hui-Fen
HF
Chiu
Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan. chunyuh@kmu.edu.tw.|Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine, National Health Research Institute, Miaol 350, Taiwan. chunyuh@kmu.edu.tw.
Chun-Yuh
CY
Yang
D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000032:analysis; D002947:Cities / Q000453:epidemiology; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D010126:Ozone / Q000032:analysis; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012306:Risk; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014887:Weather
D052638:Particulate Matter; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide; D010126:Ozone; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide
air pollution; case-crossover; coarse particles; fine particles; hospital admissions; respiratory diseases