Temporal cross-correlations between air pollutants and outpatient visits for respiratory and circulatory system diseases in Fuzhou, China

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have suggested that there is an association between air pollutants and circulatory and respiratory diseases; however, relatively few have analyzed the association between air pollutants and outpatient visits based on the mortality, hospitalization rates, etc., especially in areas with relatively good air quality. Therefore, we conducted this study to research the association between air pollutants and outpatient visits in Fuzhou, China. Methods: We used a generalized linear Poisson model to study the association between air pollution and outpatient visits for respiratory and circulatory diseases from 2016 to 2018 in Fuzhou, China. Results: In the single pollutant model, nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) had a significant effect. For lag day 0 to lag day 5, the effect decreased with every 10 μg/L increase in NO 2. The daily maximum 8-h mean ozone (O 3-8h) and upper respiratory outpatient visits were positively associated during the cold period [lag2, excess risk (ER) (95% confidence interval (CI)): 1.68% (0.44-2.94%)], while O 3-8h and respiratory disease were positively associated during the warm period [lag5, ER (95% CI): 1.10% (0.11-2.10%) and lag4, ER (95% CI): 1.02% (0.032-2.02%)]. Similarly, particulate matter (PM) with an average aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 μm (PM 10) and lower respiratory diseases were positively associated during the warm period [lag0, ER (95% CI): 1.68% (0.44-2.94%)]. When the concentration of O 3-8h was higher than 100 μg/L, there was a positive effect on circulatory [lag5, ER (95% CI): 2.83% (0.65-5.06%)], respiratory [lag5, ER (95% CI): 2.47% (0.85-4.11%)] and upper respiratory [lag5, ER (95% CI): 3.06% (1.38-4.77%)] outpatient visits. The variation in O 3-8h changed slightly when we adjusted for other air pollutants, and after adjusting for O 3-8h, the ERs of the other air pollutants changed slightly. After adjusting for PM with an average aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM 2.5), the ERs of the other air pollutants increased, and after adjusting for NO 2 , the ER of PM decreased.

Association Between the Ambient Fine Particulate Pollution and the Daily Internal Medicine Outpatient Visits in Zhoushan, China: A Time-Series Study

“…This study indicated that PM 2.5 is a major risk factor for the daily internal medicine outpatient visits for circulatory and respiratory diseases and symptoms, which is consistent with the previous Chinese reports regarding single-system diseases (13)(14)(15). In Hong Kong, two studies reported a positive correlation of PM 2.5 concentration with the hospital admissions for respiratory diseases (13,14). In Beijing, a study finds that the short-term elevations in PM 2.5 concentration may increase the risk of asthma exacerbations (17).…”

“…Previous Chinese studies have reported a significant relationship between air pollution and daily internal medicine outpatient visits for the single-system (circulatory or respiratory) diseases; moreover, they have demonstrated the disparities among the different air pollutant types and geographical locations (9)(10)(11)(12). Most studies have been conducted in the northern and western regions of China, which have severe air pollution, with only few studies being conducted in the southern coastal areas (13)(14)(15). However, the association of air pollution with the combination of circulatory and respiratory adverse events remains unclear, especially for pollutants other than particulate matter (PM).…”

Short-term effects of gaseous air pollutants on outpatient visits for respiratory diseases: a case-crossover study in Baotou, China

“…In comparison to studies carried out in other cities, results of this study had similar trends. A study done in Fuzhou, China, associated exposure to NO 2 and outpatient visits for respiratory diseases with estimated OR of 1.051 (95% CI: 1.031 to 1.070) (Jiang et al 2020 ), while ours was 1.033 (95% CI: 1.018 to 1.049). Another study in Southeastern China associated exposure to SO 2 and outpatient visits for respiratory diseases with estimated relative risk of 1.035 (95% CI: 1.029 to 1.041) at lag1 (Mo et al 2018 ), while our OR was 1.008 (95% CI: 1.003 to 1.013).…”

“…Other studies have shown that meteorological factors have an effect on the concentrations of air pollutants, which is similar with some other studies (Li et al 2019 ; Zhang et al 2015 ). The concentration of O 3 had a positive association with temperature and a negative association with relative humidity, because sunshine can promote the production process of O 3 , and relative humidity might have negative effects on sunshine duration (Jiang et al 2020 ). The concentrations of NO 2 , SO 2 , and CO were negatively correlated with wind speed and temperature, indicating that horizontal dispersion plays an important role in modulating air pollutants concentration (Zhang et al 2015 ).…”

Comparison Analysis of the Effect of High and Low Port Activity Seasons on Air Quality in the Port of Heraklion

“…In order to evaluate the variability of the LCS recordings, the regression between the LCS anomalies and the corresponding available recordings anomalies (PM10) from the monitoring station of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MEEN; Figure 2) is calculated. The Spearman correlation is performed in order to study the relation between the meteorological variables and the concentration of pollutants [26]. Finally, the hourly evolution of pollutant concentrations and the meteorological parameters are studied to understand the impact of port operation and shipping on the air quality of Heraklion port more thoroughly.…”