Short-term effects of exposure to particulate matter and air pollution on hospital admissions for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 2007-2018.

OBJECTIVES

Research is lacking on the impacts of exposure to particulate matter (PM) and air pollution on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma. Therefore, we investigate the effects of various air pollution factors on hospitalization for asthma and COPD.

METHODS

We obtained data on pollutants-PM, PM, carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O), nitrogen dioxide (NO), and sulfur dioxide (SO)-in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. We also extracted data from Korean National Health Insurance records and investigated asthma and COPD attacks that required hospitalization from January 2007 through February 2018. We used generalized additive models with Poisson distribution and log transformation to calculate adjusted risk. A time-stratified case-crossover design was used, and conditional logistic regression was performed to analyze these data.

RESULTS

Per-unit increases in concentrations of PM, PM, SO, NO, CO, and O on different best lag days were associated with increased risks for hospital admission for COPD and asthma. SO had the strongest effect on hospital admission for asthma (odds ratio [OR], 1.535; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.450-1.619). SO also had the strongest effect on hospital admission for COPD (OR, 1.659; 95 % CI, 1.541-1.786). Subgroup analyses showed that these relationships were stronger in seniors (≥ 65 years old) and women with asthma than in men and nonseniors with COPD.

CONCLUSIONS

Short-term exposure to PM, PM, CO, O, NO, and SO may result in hospitalization for asthma and COPD. Of these pollutants, SO has the strongest effects. Therefore, patients with COPD and asthma should be cautioned against performing outdoor activities when SO levels are high.