Effects of ambient particulate matter pollution on daily hip fracture admissions in middle-aged and older adults: a time series study in Shantou, China.

BACKGROUND

Evidence on the effects of particulate matter (PM) on hip fractures is lacking, especially in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of particulate matter with hip fracture admissions in middle-aged and elderly people in the Chinese coastal city of Shantou.

METHODS

Daily hip fracture admission, meteorological factor and air pollution data were collected from 2015 to 2019. A generalized additive model (GAM) was used to investigate the association between particulate matter and hospital admission for hip fractures. Then, analyses stratified by gender, age, and season were performed to identify susceptible populations. Finally, the attributable fraction (AF) and number (AN) due to the excess particulate matter concentration were calculated by using the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standard as the reference value.

RESULTS

The results revealed that particulate matter was significantly associated with hip fracture admissions. For each 10 µg/m increase in the concentrations of PM, PM and PM at lag0, the corresponding relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were 1.0614 (1.0331-1.0903), 1.0560 (1.0108-1.1033) and 1.0420 (1.0220-1.0622), respectively. Females and people over the age of 75 were more susceptible to particulate matter. Furthermore, 12.79% (674 cases) of hip fracture admissions were attributable to exposure to particulate matter exceeding the WHO standards.

CONCLUSIONS

Short-term exposure to particulate matter was significantly associated with increased risk of daily hip fracture admissions.