Félix Del Campo, Tania M Álvaro de Castro, Raúl López-Izquierdo, Fernando Moreno Torrero, Daniel Álvarez, Gonzalo C Gutiérrez-Tobal, Roberto Hornero, Tomás Ruiz Albi
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the association between particulate matter concentration (PM10 and PM2.5) and the number of emergency department visits for exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a low-pollution area.
Methods: We conducted an ecological study based on emergency department visits for COPD exacerbations. A generalized additive model was used to estimate the relative risk and attributable fraction (AF), adjusting for weather variables. Pollution levels on the day of the visit and the 5 preceding days were considered to assess potential delayed effects of exposure.
Results: A total of 2,045 patients with 5,233 emergency department visits were included. A total of 79.1% of the patients were men. The mean age was 79.5 years (SD, 10.1). The mean concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 was 11.5 µg/m³ and 17.3 µg/m³, respectively. Both emergency visits and particulate matter concentrations showed a seasonalpattern. A significant association was found with exposure occurring 3 days prior (lag -3), with a 5.8% increase in visits for every 10 µg/m³ increase in PM2.5 (AF 5.45%) and a 3.3% increase for PM10 (AF 3.15%). Men and patients older than 75 years showed greater sensitivity to exposure. The impact of particulate matter was more pronounced during the summer months.
Conclusions: Exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 is associated with an increase in emergency department visits for COPD exacerbations, with a particular impact among men, patients older than 75 years, and during the summer season.