title: Impact of Air Pollutants on Outpatient Visits for Acute Respiratory Outcomes.
abstract: The air pollution in China is a severe problem. The aim of our study was to investigate the impact of air pollutants on acute respiratory outcomes in outpatients. Outpatient data from 2 December 2013 to 1 December 2014 were collected, as well as air pollutant data including ozone (O₃), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and particulate matter (PM2.5and PM10). We screened six categories of acute respiratory outcomes and analyzed their associations with different air pollutant exposures, including upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), acute bronchitis (AB), community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD), acute exacerbation of asthma (AE-asthma), and acute exacerbation of bronchiectasis (AEBX). A case-crossover design with a bidirectional control sampling approach was used for statistical analysis. A total of 57,144 patients were enrolled for analysis. PM2.5, PM10, NO₂, SO₂, and CO exposures were positively associated with outpatient visits for URTI, AB, CAP, and AEBX. PM10, SO₂, and CO exposures were positively associated with outpatient visits for AECOPD. Exposure to O₃ was positively associated with outpatient visits for AE-asthma, but negatively associated with outpatient visits for URTI, CAP, and AEBX. In conclusion, air pollutants had acute effects on outpatient visits for acute respiratory outcomes, with specific outcomes associated with specific pollutants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, China. liran2004@163.com.
authors.forename: Ran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, China. aleckdonj@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. liuqichen@bjmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Qichen
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. huangjing2225@163.com.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. guoxb@bjmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xinbiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, China. liufan@pkuph.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, China. zcgao@bjmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhancheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000032:analysis; D002681:China; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D010126:Ozone / Q000032:analysis; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide; D010126:Ozone; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide
keywords: air pollutant; outpatient visit; respiratory outcome