BackgroundChronic exposure to particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5) is associated with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Elevated ambient temperature may increase PM2.5 levels and thereby exacerbate sinonasal symptoms. This study investigates the association between high ambient temperature and the risk of CRS diagnosis.MethodsPatients with CRS were diagnosed at Johns Hopkins hospitals from May to October 2013–2022, and controls were matched patients without CRS meanwhile. A total of 4752 patients (2376 cases and 2376 controls) were identified with a mean (SD) age of 51.8 (16.8) years. The effect of maximum ambient temperature on symptoms was estimated with a distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM). Extreme heat was defined as 35.0°C (95th percentile of the maximum temperature distribution). Conditional logistic regression models estimated the association between extreme heat and the risk of CRS diagnosis.ResultsExposure to extreme heat was associated with increased odds of exacerbation of CRS symptoms (odds ratio [OR] 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–1.19). The cumulative effect of extreme heat during 0–21 lag days was significant (OR 2.37, 95% CI 1.60–3.50) compared with the minimum morbidity temperature (MMT) at 25.3°C. Associations were more pronounced among young and middle‐aged patients and patients with abnormal weight.ConclusionsWe found that short‐term exposure to high ambient temperature is associated with increased CRS diagnosis, suggesting a cascading effect of meteorological phenomena. These results highlight climate change's potentially deleterious health effects on upper airway diseases, which could have a significant public health impact.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.