Health and economic impacts of ambient air pollution on hospital admissions for overall and specific cardiovascular diseases in Panzhihua, Southwestern China

Abstract

BackgroundThe associations of ambient air pollution with hospital admissions (HAs) for overall and specific causes of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), as well as related morbidity and economic burdens remain understudied, especially in low-pollution areas of low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). We evaluated the short-term effects of exposure to PM 2.5 (particles with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm), PM 10 (particles with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm), and SO 2 (sulfur dioxide) on HAs for CVDs in Panzhihua, China, during 2016-2020, and calculated corresponding attributable risks and economic burden. MethodsWe used a generalized additive model (GAM) while controlling for time trends, meteorological conditions, holidays, and days of the week to estimate the associations. The cost of illness (COI) method was adopted to further assess corresponding hospitalization costs and productivity losses.Results A total of 27 660 HAs for CVDs were included in this study. PM 10 and SO 2 were significantly associated with elevated risks of CVDs hospitalizations. Each 10 μg/m 3 increase in PM 10 and SO 2 at lag06 corresponded to an increase of 2.48% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.92%-4.06%), and 5.50% (95% CI = 3.09%-7.97%) in risk of HAs for CVDs, respectively. The risk estimates of PM 10 and SO 2 on CVD hospitalizations were generally robust after adjustment for other pollutants in two-pollutant models. We found stronger associations between air pollution (PM 10 and SO 2 ) and CVDs in cool seasons than in warm seasons. For specific causes of CVDs, significant associations of PM 10 and SO 2 exposure with cerebrovascular disease and ischaemic heart disease were observed. Using 0 μg/m 3 as the reference concentrations, 11.91% (95%CI = 4.64%-18.56%) and 15.71% (95%CI = 9.30%-21.60%) of HAs for CVDs could be attributable to PM 10 and SO 2 , respectively. During the study period, PM 10 and SO 2 brought 144.34 million Yuan economic losses for overall CVDs, accounting for 0.028% of local GDP. ConclusionsOur results suggest that PM 10 and SO 2 exposure might be an important trigger of HAs for CVDs and accounted for substantial morbidity and economic burden.

Effects of sulfur dioxide and particulate matter pollution on hospital admissions for hypertensive cardiovascular disease: A time series analysis

“…We also conducted sensitivity analyses with perfect PM2.5 data (the information derived from one station over the period of 10 months, as previously mentioned). Considering that PM2.5–10 (PM10 minus PM2.5) defines particulate matter between 2.5 and 10 µg/m3 in aerodynamic diameter ( Zhang et al, 2016 ; Shamsipour et al, 2019 ; Li et al, 2022b ), the multi-pollutant models were carried out to estimate the association between SO2 and PM10-2.5 and daily hospital admissions for HCD adjusted for the meteorological variables and simultaneous exposure to other pollutants (NO 2 , O 3 , CO, PM 2.5 , and PM 2.5–10 /SO 2 ). The influence of pollutants (SO 2 and PM 2.5–10 ) in both situations (with and without PM 2.5 adjustment) are almost alike in different lags, as illustrated in Supplementary Figure S1 (in supplementary material); therefore, the findings are stable and robust.…”

Association Between Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease Hospitalizations in Lanzhou City, 2013–2020: A Time Series Analysis

“…A similar study conducted in Hefei showed that males and elderly individuals are more susceptible to the effects of SO 2 (Zhang et al., 2017 ). The study conducted in Panzhihua City found a significant correlation between SO 2 and increased hospitalization risk for CVD, with a stronger correlation during the cold season than the warm season (Li et al., 2022 ). Harmful effects of NO 2 were observed in both the general population and subgroups.…”

Seasonal Variations of Venous Thromboembolism Incidence: A Systemic Review from Global Trends to Chinese Context

“…Additionally, environmental factors such as air pollution levels and altitude, which vary between regions, have been linked to cardiovascular health and thrombotic events. Studies conducted in China have explored the impact of air pollution on cardiovascular diseases, indicating potential associations with thrombotic events [52]. Furthermore, lifestyle factors, including dietary habits and occupational activities, may contribute to the observed regional differences in VTE patterns.…”