The Content of Elements in Rainwater and its Relation to the Frequency of Hospitalization for Arterial Hypertension, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and Psoriasis in Opole Voivodship, Poland During 2000–2002

et al. 2009

Environmental factors significantly influence the incidence and course of metabolic syndrome diseases such as diabetes and obesity. The content of elements in rainwater is an indirect indicator of their presence in dust suspended in the air. In this paper we present the relationships between the content of selected elements in rainwater and hospitalization frequencies due to diabetes (E10-E13) and obesity (E66). It was assumed that the hospitalization frequency could be taken as a measure of deterioration of the metabolic process in the course of diabetes and its complications. The observations concerned the population of Opole Voivodeship, Poland (one million inhabitants), distributed in small communities of 44,000 to 151,000 inhabitants during the years 2000-2002. In cases of diabetes E10-E13 for all subjects relevant correlation indicators were found for chromium (r = 0.71), cadmium (r = 0.65), and lead (r = 0.66). Borderline relevance was seen for copper (r = 0.57) and zinc (r = 056). For diabetic men the statistically relevant correlations were chromium (r = 0.79), lead (r = 0.77), cadmium (r = 0.74), copper (r = 0.70), chloride (r = 0.69), zinc (r = 0.68), and iron (r = 0.64). For women the only relevant correlations were chromium (r = 0.62) and cadmium (r = 0.55). No significant correlations were found in obese individuals of both sexes.

Section: Correlation Coefficients Between Elements In Rainwater and Fcontrasting

confidence: 92%

The Content of Elements in Rainwater and its Relation to the Frequency of Hospitalization for Diabetes and Obesity in Opole Voivodship, Poland, During 2000–2002

Bunio

et al. 2009

“…Significant gender differences were first noted in a previous study about the correlation between elements in rainwater and the incidence of hospitalizations for high-blood pressure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and psoriasis [30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Gender Differences in Correlations Between the Content of Elements in Rain Water and the Frequency of Hospitalization for Arterial Hypertension, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and Psoriasis in Opole Voivodship, Poland, During 2000–2002

2008

Self Cite

The aim of this work is to show and give a plausible explanation to gender-dependent differences in correlations between the content of selected elements in rainwater and the frequency of hospitalization by reason of arterial hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and psoriasis in the area of Opolskie Voivodeship, Poland, during the period 2000-2002. The elements analyzed were sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, zinc, copper, lead, cadmium, nickel, chromium, chloride, nitrate, and sulfate. Hospitalization due to arterial hypertension was more frequent in women, whereas those for COPD and psoriasis were more frequent in men. In the case of women hospitalized for arterial hypertension, the correlations were low, except for zinc (r = 0.47) and for cadmium (r = 0.43). In men hospitalized for COPD, all of the correlation coefficients were higher than 0.4, except for phosphorus. The coefficients for nickel, ammonia nitrogen, and total nitrogen ranged from 0.5 to 0.6 and the remaining elements from 0.6 to 0.7. In women, the correlation was limited to five elements where the coefficient was r > 0.4 for chloride, calcium, nitrate, phosphorus, and chromium. In cases of hospitalization for psoriasis, the correlation in men was between 0.4 and 0.5 for chloride, phosphorus, copper, lead, and total nitrogen and greater than 5 for sulfate, potassium, calcium, iron, manganese, nitrate, and ammonium nitrogen. The correlation in women was between 0.48 and 0.5 for ammonium nitrogen and phosphorus.

“…In sum, as previous researches [1][2][3], we propose that rainwater is a suitable monitor of metallic and nonmetallic environmental pollutants that may negatively impact human health. Two possible mechanisms may explain the positive correlation between some elements in rain water and the increased frequency of hospital admissions due to atrial fibrillation: a) Ion channels remodeling, influencing the cellular calcium concentration, and potentiating of adrenergic stimulation associated to it.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…The data on hospital admissions and on the concentrations of chemical elements in rainwater were collected from the same sources as in previous publications [1][2][3]. The annual mean number of hospitalizations per 10,000 inhabitants due to atrial fibrillation as the main cause of hospitalization (I48, ICD-10) was obtained for the years 2000-2002 for each county in Opole from the National Register of Hospitalization Statistics, Public Health Centre.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Content of Elements in Rainwater and its Relation to the Frequency of Hospitalization for Atrial Fibrillation in Opole Voivodship, Poland, During 2000–2002

Bunio

et al. 2010

The elemental composition of rainwater is a suitable indirect indicator of the presence of chemical elements in airborne dust. As such, rainwater is considered a suitable monitor for environmental or natural pollution. The yearly content of chemical elements in rainwater may be considered a good indicator for determining the influence of these environmental factors on human body. We decided to investigate the relationship between chemical elements in rainwater and the frequency of hospitalizations for atrial fibrillation (I48, ICD10) on the population of the region of Opole Voivodship, Poland during the years 2000-2002. The voivodship or province has a population of one million and is divided into 12 counties that have between 44,000 and 151,000 inhabitants. We calculated the yearly average number of hospitalizations by reasons of atrial fibrillation per 10,000 inhabitants in particular counties. The average content of the chosen chemical elements in kilograms per hectare per year was calculated for each county individually and the data evaluated by means of Spearman's correlation coefficient. There is a high positive correlation between chromium in rainwater and hospital admissions for atrial fibrillation (r = 0.62) and mild positive correlation with cadmium (r = 0.57), lead (r = 0.57), zinc (r = 0.50), and chloride (r = 0.48). There are no significant differences between male and female patients. The biological activities of these elements, which may include enhanced adrenergic stimulation, remodeling of calcium or other ion channels, or the cytotoxic effects of hexavalent chromium may explain the positive correlations here reported.