Regional Differentiation of Mortality from Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diseases in Correlation with Concentrations of PM10 Particles in Montenegro.

Background: We aimed to indicate whether the regional disparity in the general mortality rate from cardiovascular (CVDs) and chronic respiratory (CRDs) diseases correlates with the trends of the average annual values of PM₁₀ particles in selected cities in Montenegro.

Methods: We used descriptive statistics together with correlation tests. The paper deals with the regional distribution of mortality caused by CVDs and chronic respiratory (CRDs) diseases in Montenegro from 2011 to 2019, while the correlation of mortality in selected cities with PM₁₀ particles covers the period from 2011 to 2019.

Results: The selected cities from different regions of Montenegro, such as Pljevlja and Niksic, exhibited significant correlations between increased pollution concentrations and mortality from cardiovascular diseases. In Pljevlja, a strong correlation was found between PM₁₀ concentrations and CVD mortality (r = 0.8), while in Niksic, the association between PM₁₀ particles and CVD mortality in women was relatively strong (β=2.7). Similar, but weaker correlations were observed in Podgorica (r=0.5) and Bar (r=0.4). Regarding respiratory diseases, the correlations with PM₁₀ particles were negative and weaker in all cities, with the lowest coefficients observed in Podgorica (r = -0.2) and Nikšić (r = -0.3), suggesting a lesser impact of pollution on mortality from respiratory diseases compared to cardiovascular diseases.

Conclusion: Mortality trends particularly for cardiovascular diseases, show a strong correlation with poor air quality in certain cities, especially Pljevlja and Niksic. Reducing pollutant emissions would significantly contribute to improving public health in Montenegro. Future research must include established measuring stations network for air quality analysis in Montenegro.