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Short-term effects of air pollutants on hospital admissions for acute bronchitis in children: a multi-city time-series study in Southwest China

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Abstract

Background

Few studies have investigated the effects of air pollutants on children with acute bronchitis. This study aimed to explore the acute effects of four air pollutants [fine particulate matter (PM2.5), inhalable particulate matter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)] on the daily number of children admitted to the hospital for acute bronchitis in Sichuan Province, China.

Methods

The 49,975 records of hospitalized children with acute bronchitis from medical institutions in nine cities/prefectures, Sichuan Province, China, as well as the simultaneous meteorological data and air pollution data from 183 monitoring sites, were collected from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2018. A generalized additive model was adopted to analyze the exposure–response and lag effects of hospitalizations of children with acute bronchitis to air pollutants. Stratified analyses were conducted based on sex, age, and season.

Results

The single-pollutant model showed that a 10 µg/m3 increase at lag07 of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2 corresponded to an increase of 1.23% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.21–2.26%], 1.33% (95% CI 0.62–2.05%), 23.52% (95% CI 11.52–36.81%), and 12.47% (95% CI 8.46–16.64%) in daily hospitalizations for children with acute bronchitis, respectively. Children aged 0–2 were more prone to PM2.5 (P < 0.05). Interestingly, the effects were stronger in the warm season than in transition seasons and the cool season for PM2.5 and PM10 (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The higher daily average concentrations of four pollutants in Sichuan Province can result in an increased number of children hospitalized for acute bronchitis.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

The authors received financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 72174032), and the research projects of “Xinglin Scholars” Nursery Talent in 2021 Research Plan of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine through grants MPRC2021013.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. HEOA Group, School of Public Health, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 1166 Liutai Road, Chengdu, 611137, China

    Yi He, Wanyanhan Jiang, Lin Jing & Lian Yang

  2. HEOA Group, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, No. 17 People’s South Road, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610041, China

    Jia-Qiang Liao

  3. HEOA Group, School of Management, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 1166 Liutai Road, Chengdu, 611137, China

    Jia Li

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  1. Yi He
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Contributions

YH initiated the idea for the study and was involved in writing of the original draft. WJ, YH, JLQ and JL developed the formal analysis and software. LJ was involved in data curation. LY was involved in reviewing and editing. LY was the PI for the fund and designed ideas of research. All the authors participated in revising manuscript according to the comments of reviewers and approved the final report.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lian Yang.

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Ethical approval

All the procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (approval no. 2020KL-001).

Conflict of interest

No financial or non-financial benefits have been received or will be received from any party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article. The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

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He, Y., Jiang, W., Liao, JQ. et al. Short-term effects of air pollutants on hospital admissions for acute bronchitis in children: a multi-city time-series study in Southwest China. World J Pediatr 18, 426–434 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-022-00537-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-022-00537-1

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