Short-term effects of exposure to particulate matter and air pollution on hospital admissions for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 2007-2018

Abstract

ObjectivesResearch is lacking on the impacts of exposure to particulate matter (PM) and air pollution on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma. Therefore, we investigate the effects of various air pollution factors on hospitalization for asthma and COPD. MethodsWe obtained data on pollutants—PM10, PM2.5, carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2)—in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. We also extracted data from Korean National Health Insurance records and investigated asthma and COPD attacks that required hospitalization from January 2007 through February 2018. We used generalized additive models with Poisson distribution and log transformation to calculate adjusted risk. A time-stratified case-crossover design was used, and conditional logistic regression was performed to analyze these data. ResultsPer-unit increases in concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, CO, and O3 on different best lag days were associated with increased risks for hospital admission for COPD and asthma. SO2 had the strongest effect on hospital admission for asthma (odds ratio [OR], 1.535; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.450–1.619). SO2 also had the strongest effect on hospital admission for COPD (OR, 1.659; 95 % CI, 1.541–1.786). Subgroup analyses showed that these relationships were stronger in seniors (≥ 65 years old) and women with asthma than in men and nonseniors with COPD. ConclusionsShort-term exposure to PM10, PM2.5, CO, O3, NO2, and SO2 may result in hospitalization for asthma and COPD. Of these pollutants, SO2 has the strongest effects. Therefore, patients with COPD and asthma should be cautioned against performing outdoor activities when SO2 levels are high.