BACKGROUND: Exposure to some air pollutants is associated with cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of exposure to fine particulate matter in hospitalizations due to ischemic heart disease and the costs to the healthcare system. DESIGN AND SETTING: Time-series ecological study conducted in Taubaté, Brazil. METHODS: Data on hospitalizations due to ischemic heart diseases (ICD I-20 to I-24) in the municipality of Taubaté (SP), Brazil, among adults of both sexes aged 40 years and over, from August 2011 to July 2012, were obtained from DATASUS. Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) concentrations were estimated from a mathematical model. Poisson regression was used in statistical analyses to estimate the relative risks of exposure to PM 2.5 for both sexes and after stratification according to sex. The excess of hospitalizations and consequent excess expenditure for the healthcare system were calculated. RESULTS: There were 1040 admissions, among which 382 had ischemic heart diseases (257 males). The mean PM 2.5 concentration was 13.2 µg/m 3 (SD = 5.6). Significant effects from exposure were noted 4 and 5 days after exposure (lag 4 and lag 5) for both sexes and for male sex; for female sex, the effect was 2 days after exposure (lag 2). There were 59 excess hospitalizations for an increase in PM 2.5 concentration of 5 µg/m 3 and excess expenditure of US$ 150,000 for the National Health System. CONCLUSIONS: An excess of hospital admissions due to ischemic heart disease, with excess expenditure, was identified consequent to PM 2.5 exposure.

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RESUMOA poluição do ar vem aumentando nas cidades, utilizando dados reais das concentrações de poluentes e dados de internações obtidos do portal do Ministério da Saúde, categorizados por sexo, realizou-se uma análise multipoluente sendo encontrada associação positiva ao PM10; com incremento de 10 µg/m3 às concentrações, teríamos um aumento de 46% das internações; redução de 10 µg/m3 implica em economia aproximada de R$ 2 milhões, destacando a importância da redução de poluentes atmosféricos.Palavras-chave: aparelho respiratório, poluição do ar, internações, estudo ecológico.