Abstract
Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) can estimate daily volumes of sand dust particles from the East Asian desert to Japan. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between sand dust particles and pulmonary function, and respiratory symptoms in adult patients with asthma. One hundred thirty-seven patients were included in the study. From March 2013 to May 2013, the patients measured their morning peak expiratory flow (PEF) and kept daily lower respiratory symptom diaries. A linear mixed model was used to estimate the correlation of the median daily levels of sand dust particles, symptoms scores, and PEF. A heavy sand dust day was defined as an hourly concentration of sand dust particles of >0.1 km−1. By this criterion, there were 8 heavy sand dust days during the study period. Elevated sand dust particles levels were significantly associated with the symptom score (0.04; 95% confidence interval (CI); 0.03, 0.05), and this increase persisted for 5 days. There was no significant association between PEF and heavy dust exposure (0.01 L/min; 95% CI, −0.62, 0.11). The present study found that sand dust particles were significantly associated with worsened lower respiratory tract symptoms in adult patients with asthma, but not with pulmonary function.
Highlights
Turbulent winds disperse large quantities of particulate desert matter, including dust and sand over large areas, and these compounds induce disease in humans [1] and impact the health of widespread populations over large distances as they travel far from their source [2]
The remaining 137 patients consistently recorded daily respiratory symptoms and the peak expiratory flow (PEF) for >90% of the study period (March to May), and these 137 patients were included in the final analysis
This current study used Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) data to examine the association of sand dust particles with pulmonary function (PEF) and lower respiratory tract symptoms in adult patients with asthma in Western Japan
Summary
Turbulent winds disperse large quantities of particulate desert matter, including dust and sand over large areas, and these compounds induce disease in humans [1] and impact the health of widespread populations over large distances as they travel far from their source [2]. 20% of the global total [3] These sand dust storms, referred to as Asian dust storms (ADS), have travelled to the West coast of the United States [4,5] and occasionally around the globe [6]. Sand dust emissions originating from China and Central Asia have recently become an even greater health concern because they contain anthropogenic metals, chemicals, and microorganisms introduced by rapid industrial development [8,9]. A study by Park et al that attempted to investigate the association of ADS with respiratory symptoms found that the levels of particulate matter smaller than 10 μm (PM10) during
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