Effect of Interaction between Dust Exposure, Seasonality and Individual Health Characteristics on Cardiovascular Morbidity

Abstract

Background: Recent studies show an association between non-anthropogenic air pollution originating from mineral dust particles and health outcomes .Yet, the effect of personal clinical characteristics predisposing some sub-population to a greater harm and interaction with particular season are not fully elucidated. Aims: The aim of the study is to assess the effect of interaction between dust storm (DS), seasonality and individual health and demographic characteristics (diabetes, hypertension, history of ischemic heart disease, age, and gender) on incidence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Material and Methods: Study population comprised all adult patients admitted to Soroka University Medical Center (SUMC, 2001-2010) with a primary diagnosis of ACS. SUMC is situated at the margins of the Sahara-Arabian dust belt and is frequently subjected to dust storm (DS). Environmental data were obtained from the local monitoring stations. We used a case-crossover analysis with two different methods of control sampling strategies Results: We identified 16,734 ACS admissions. Among them, 68.4% were males, 30.1% had diabetes, 50.1% hypertension and 23.13% history of ischemic heart disease. A short-term increase in hospital admission rates was found associated with high concentration of PM10 during the winter season; (OR=1.0003, p=0.01). Due to the interaction with gender and age, younger women were more prone to hospitalizing during the DS (OR=1.4, p<0.01) compared to younger men (OR=1.03, p=0.56). We did not find an interaction with other personal characteristics: diabetes, history of ischemic heart disease and hypertension. Conclusion: The association between dust exposure and cardiovascular morbidity is gender and season specific. The higher effect was shown during the winter season due to their different source and high wind speeds. Further investigation is needed to understand the role of these natural events, particularly among the vulnerable population groups.