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Short-term effects of exposure to particulate matter and air pollution on hospital admissions for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 2007–2018

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Abstract

Objectives

Research is lacking on the impacts of exposure to particulate matter (PM) and air pollution on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma. Therefore, we investigate the effects of various air pollution factors on hospitalization for asthma and COPD.

Methods

We obtained data on pollutants—PM10, PM2.5, carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2)—in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. We also extracted data from Korean National Health Insurance records and investigated asthma and COPD attacks that required hospitalization from January 2007 through February 2018. We used generalized additive models with Poisson distribution and log transformation to calculate adjusted risk. A time-stratified case-crossover design was used, and conditional logistic regression was performed to analyze these data.

Results

Per-unit increases in concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, CO, and O3 on different best lag days were associated with increased risks for hospital admission for COPD and asthma. SO2 had the strongest effect on hospital admission for asthma (odds ratio [OR], 1.535; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.450–1.619). SO2 also had the strongest effect on hospital admission for COPD (OR, 1.659; 95 % CI, 1.541–1.786). Subgroup analyses showed that these relationships were stronger in seniors (≥ 65 years old) and women with asthma than in men and nonseniors with COPD.

Conclusions

Short-term exposure to PM10, PM2.5, CO, O3, NO2, and SO2 may result in hospitalization for asthma and COPD. Of these pollutants, SO2 has the strongest effects. Therefore, patients with COPD and asthma should be cautioned against performing outdoor activities when SO2 levels are high.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Republic of Korea

    Chang Hoon Han

  2. Research and Analysis Team, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Republic of Korea

    Haeyong Pak

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, International St. Mary`s Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University College of Medicine, Simgokro 100Gil 25 Seo-gu, 22711, Incheon, Republic of Korea

    Jae Ho Chung

Authors
  1. Chang Hoon Han
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Contributions

All authors contributed conception, analysis, interpretation, revising, and final approval of the manuscript. CH Han served as a principal investigator and had full access to all of the data in the study. JH Chung take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

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Correspondence to Jae Ho Chung.

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Conflict of interest

This work was supported by the National Health Insurance Ilsan Hospital grant (NHIMC-2019-11-019).

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Chang Hoon Han and Haeyong Pak contributed equally to this work as co-first authors.

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Han, C.H., Pak, H. & Chung, J.H. Short-term effects of exposure to particulate matter and air pollution on hospital admissions for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 2007–2018. J Environ Health Sci Engineer 19, 1535–1541 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40201-021-00709-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40201-021-00709-7

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