Rainfall-Associated Bronchospasm Epidemics: The Epidemiological Effects of Air Pollutants and Weather Variables

Overview

Journal Can Respir J

Publisher Wiley

Specialty Pulmonary Medicine

Date 2017 Nov 2

PMID 29089817

Citations 6

Authors

Kambiz Masoumi

Maryam Haddadzadeh Shoushtari

Arash Forouzan

Ali Asgari Darian

Maryam Dastoorpoor

Pegah Ebrahimzadeh

Hamidreza Aghababaeian

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: This study compares different risk factors in patients visiting a hospital during five rainfall-associated bronchospasm epidemics in Ahvaz and those visiting on other occasions.

Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 5307 patients with bronchospasm admitted to the Emergency Department of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ahvaz (Iran) from late October to December (as the epidemic) and 916 patients admitted from late January to March (as the nonepidemic) in 2011 to 2015.

Results: A total of the 41.7% of the cases and 48.8% of the controls had episodes of bronchospasm, suggesting a significant difference between the two groups ( < 0.001). The mean concentrations of PM, NO, NO, and NO pollutants (except O) were significantly higher in the nonepidemic periods ( < 0.05). The adjusted analysis showed a direct significant relationship between emergency respiratory admissions and each unit of increase in NO and SO concentration during the epidemic periods and NO concentration during the nonepidemic periods. During the epidemic periods, a direct and significant relationship was also observed between respiratory admissions and each unit of increase in relative humidity and evaporation.

Conclusion: The results suggest that certain pollutants and weather variables are associated with the risk of emergency respiratory admissions during epidemic periods.

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Cardiovascular and respiratory emergency dispatch due to short-term exposure to ambient PM10 in Dezful, Iran.

Aghababaeian H, Dastoorpoor M, Ghasemi A, Kiarsi M, Khanjani N, Araghi Ahvazi L J Cardiovasc Thorac Res. 2019; 11(4):264-271.

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