Air pollution, aeroallergens and admissions to pediatric emergency room for respiratory reasons in Turin, northwestern Italy

作者：Bono Roberto^*; Romanazzi Valeria; Bellisario Valeria; Tassinari Roberta; Trucco Giulia; Urbino Antonio; Cassardo Claudio; Siniscalco Consolata; Marchetti Pierpaolo; Marcon Alessandro

来源：BMC Public Health, 2016, 16(1): 722.

DOI：10.1186/s12889-016-3376-3

• Airborne pollutants
• Pollens
• Time-series analysis
• Pediatric emergency room
• Short-term respiratory effects

Background: Air pollution can cause respiratory symptoms or exacerbate pre-existing respiratory diseases, especially in children. This study looked at the short-term association of air pollution concentrations with Emergency Room (ER) admissions for respiratory reasons in pediatric age (0-18 years).
Methods: Daily number of ER admissions in a children's Hospital, concentrations of urban-background PM2.5, NO2, O-3 and total aeroallergens (Corylaceae, Cupressaceae, Gramineae, Urticaceae, Ambrosia, Betula) were collected in Turin, northwestern Italy, for the period 1/08/2008 to 31/12/2010 (883 days). The associations between exposures and ER admissions were estimated, at time lags between 0 and 5 days, using generalized linear Poisson regression models, adjusted for non-meteorological potential confounders.
Results: In the study period, 21,793 ER admissions were observed, mainly (81 %) for upper respiratory tract infections. Median air pollution concentrations were 22.0, 42.5, 34.1 mu g/m(3) for urban-background PM2.5, NO2, and O-3, respectively, and 2.9 grains/m(3) for aeroallergens. We found that ER admissions increased by 1.3 % (95 % CI: 0.3-2.2 %) five days after a 10 mu g/m(3) increase in NO2, and by 0.7 % (95 % CI: 0.1-1.2 %) one day after a 10 grains/m(3) increase in aeroallergens, while they were not associated with PM2.5 concentrations. ER admissions were negatively associated with O-3 and aeroallergen concentrations at some time lags, but these association shifted to the null when meteorological confounders were adjusted for in the models.
Conclusions: Overall, these findings confirm adverse short-term health effects of air pollution on the risk of ER admission in children and encourage a careful management of the urban environment to health protection.

• 出版日期2016-8-5