Héguy Léa, Garneau Michelle, Goldberg Mark S, Raphoz Marie, Guay Frédéric, Valois Marie-France
Geography Department, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Que., Canada.
Environ Res. 2008 Feb;106(2):203-11. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2007.10.005.
Asthma among children is a major public health problem worldwide. There are increasing number of studies suggesting a possible association between allergenic pollen and exacerbations of asthma. In the context of global climate change, a number of future climate and air pollution scenarios predict increases in concentrations of pollen, an extension of the pollen season, and an increase in the allergenicity of pollen. The goal of the present study is to evaluate the short-term effects of exposure to grass and weed pollen on emergency department visits and readmissions for asthma among children aged 0-9 years living in Montreal between April and October, 1994-2004.
Time-series analyses were carried out using parametric log-linear overdispersed Poisson models that were adjusted for temporal variations, daily weather conditions (temperature, atmospheric pressure), and gaseous air pollutants (ozone and nitrogen dioxide). We have found positive associations between emergency department visits and concentrations of grass pollen 3 days after exposure. The effect of grass pollen was higher on emergency department readmissions as compared to initial visits. Weak negative associations were found between weed pollen (including ragweed pollen) and emergency department visits 2 days after exposure.
The data indicate that among children, emergency department visits increased with increasing concentrations of grass pollen.
儿童哮喘是全球主要的公共卫生问题。越来越多的研究表明，致敏花粉与哮喘发作之间可能存在关联。在全球气候变化的背景下，一些未来气候和空气污染情景预测花粉浓度会增加、花粉季节会延长以及花粉致敏性会增强。本研究的目的是评估1994年4月至2004年10月期间居住在蒙特利尔的0至9岁儿童暴露于草花粉和杂草花粉对哮喘急诊就诊和再入院的短期影响。
采用参数化对数线性过度分散泊松模型进行时间序列分析，该模型针对时间变化、每日天气状况（温度、大气压力）和气态空气污染物（臭氧和二氧化氮）进行了调整。我们发现暴露3天后急诊就诊与草花粉浓度之间存在正相关。与初次就诊相比，草花粉对急诊再入院的影响更大。暴露2天后，杂草花粉（包括豚草花粉）与急诊就诊之间存在微弱的负相关。
数据表明，在儿童中，急诊就诊次数随草花粉浓度的增加而增加。
