Asthma Exacerbations and Symptom Variability in Children Due to Short-term Ambient Air Pollution Changes in Ostrava, Czech Republic
Language English Country Czech Republic Media print
Document type Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PubMed
26841141
DOI
10.21101/cejph.a4548
Knihovny.cz E-resources
- Keywords
- air pollution, asthma, children, respiratory symptoms, short-term exposure,
- MeSH
- Asthma physiopathology MeSH
- Child MeSH
- Air Pollutants adverse effects analysis MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Adolescent MeSH
- Risk Factors MeSH
- Severity of Illness Index MeSH
- Environmental Exposure adverse effects analysis MeSH
- Air Pollution adverse effects analysis MeSH
- Check Tag
- Child MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Adolescent MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Geographicals
- Czech Republic MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Air Pollutants MeSH
AIM: The Ostrava region suffers from high levels of air pollution during winter inversions. We investigated the association between short-term elevations of air pollutant concentrations and worsening of respiratory problems, use of asthma medication and restriction of daily activities in asthmatic patients in Ostrava. METHODS: One-hundred and forty-seven child and adolescent patients (aged 6-18 years) with a confirmed diagnosis of mild to moderate persistent asthma were included in the study. Participants' parents completed diaries covering the period of November 2013 to February 2014; this analysis included 18,228 person-days. Daily smoothed maps of outdoor concentrations of particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) were constructed from routine monitoring data, and participants' daily exposures were estimated on the basis of time spent at home and at school. The associations between health outcomes and exposure to air pollutants were estimated using the multiple logistic regression method. RESULTS: The odds ratios (OR) of the combined outcome for wheezing and/or difficulty in breathing, per 10 µg/m³ increase in the mean 24-h exposure were 1.07 (95% confidence interval 1.04-1.11) for PM10, 1.30 (1.18-1.44) for NO2, and 1.37 (1.18-1.59) for SO2. Additional inhaler use (in addition to usual medication) was also more frequent at higher air pollutant concentrations; the odds ratios per 10 µg/m³ increase in the mean 24-h exposure were 1.05 (1.02-1.07) for PM10, 1.19 (1.10-1.30) for NO2, and 1.26 (1.11-1.43) for SO2. Associations were less consistent for other health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest moderately strong associations between air pollutant concentrations and respiratory difficulties among asthmatic children and adolescents. More detailed analyses are required to confirm these preliminary findings.
Czech Hydrometeorological Institute Prague Czech Republic
Institute of Computer Science Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czech Republic
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