Association between ambient temperature, particulate air pollution and emergency room visits for conjunctivitis

Abstract

Background Numerous studies have confirmed the association of ambient temperature and air pollution with a higher risk of morbidities, yet few have addressed their effect on the ocular system. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between temperature, air pollution, and emergency room visits for conjunctivitis. Methods In this case-crossover study, the records of all emergency room visits to Soroka University Medical Center (SUMC) from 2009 to 2014 were reviewed for patients with conjunctivitis. Daily exposure to fine and coarse particulate matter and temperature were determined by a hybrid model involving satellite sensors. Mean relative humidity was obtained from the Ministry of Environmental Protection meteorological monitoring station located in Beer-Sheva. Results Six hundred one patients were diagnosed with conjunctivitis in the SUMC emergency room. We discovered a positive association between temperature increments and incidence of conjunctivitis. The strongest effect was found during summer and autumn, with an immediate (lag0) incidence increase of 8.1% for each 1 °C increase in temperature (OR = 1.088, 95%CI: 1.046–1.132) between 24 and 28 °C in the summer and 7.2% for each 1 °C increase in temperature (OR = 1.072, 95%CI: 1.036–1.108) between 13 and 23 °C in the autumn. There was no statistically significant association between fine and coarse particulate matter and conjunctivitis incidence. Conclusion Temperature increases during summer and autumn are significantly associated with an increased risk of conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis is not associated with non-anthropogenic air pollution. These findings may help community clinics and hospital emergency rooms better predict conjunctivitis cases and will hopefully lead to improved prevention efforts that will lower the financial burden on both the individual and the public.

Long-term effects of meteorological factors and extreme weather on daily outpatient visits for conjunctivitis from 2013 to 2020: a time-series study in Urumqi, China

“…In a nationwide, population‐based, cross‐sectional study, Lee et al found that patients with allergic conjunctivitis had increased incidence in May (spring), September (autumn), and the valley in winter (Lee et al 2020 ). However, data from a case-crossover study between the years 2009 and 2014 conducted by Khalaila et al suggested that patients for conjunctivitis increased during summer and autumn, excluding spring and winter (Khalaila et al 2021 ). In addition, a study based on the population in Northeast China, between the years 2014 and 2018, showed that with the increase in temperature and the decrease in humidity, allergic conjunctivitis appears to increase significantly, indicating dry and hot climate is likely to induce allergic conjunctivitis (Lu et al 2021 ).…”

Pakistan’s battle against adenoviral conjunctivitis and its economic implications

“…Apart from devastating systemic attacks on humans by adenovirus, it has gained great attention from ophthalmologists as a potential cause of an epidemic of conjunctivitis globally. Being more prevalent among all conjunctivitis, a significant rise in viral conjunctivitis had been observed, particularly in summers from July to August, while bacterial incidence was high in winter from December to April 1 . Matted eyelids due to purulent discharge and lack of itching in bacterial conjunctivitis are labeled as differentiating symptoms from viral conjunctivitis 2 .…”