The impact of air pollution on outpatient visits of children with asthma in Xi'an, China. - GreenMedInfo Summary
The Impact of Air Pollution on Outpatient Visits of Children with Asthma in Xi'an, China.
Wilderness Environ Med. 2021 Jan 28. Epub 2021 Jan 28. PMID: 33518497
Yaozu Zhang
INTRODUCTION: The number of children with asthma has increased significantly in China. In recent years, there has been a steady increase in outpatient visits of children with asthma, attributed to poor air quality and environmental pollution reported regionally and at our institution. This study aimed to assess the association between air pollution and the number of outpatient visits of children with asthma in Xi'an, the largest city in northwest China.
METHODS: We searched the database of the largest children's hospital in Xi'an for related information from 2014 to 2018 and then acquired data on air pollution, including the daily average concentrations of fine particles (PM), inhalable particles (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO), and sulfur dioxide (SO) of that same time period. Time-series generalized additive models were used to analyze the relationships.
RESULTS: Our results revealed that air pollution was very serious in Xi'an, with elevated average concentrations of PM, PM, and NOfrom 2015 to 2018. The relative risk of outpatient visits due to asthma associated with PM, PM, and SOpollution rose significantly and reached 1.11 (1.02-1.21), 1.25 (1.01-1.55), and 1.71 (1.31-2.25), respectively, when there was a 10 ug·mincrease in concentration, during a lag of 21 d.
CONCLUSIONS: A high concentration of particulate matter (PMand PM) was the prominent feature of air pollution in Xi'an. Exposure to air pollutant (PM, PM, SO) was positively associated with an increased risk of children's outpatient visits for asthma in Xi'an.