Abstract
Few studies have examined the association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) in urban cities. The principal aim of the present study was to evaluate the short-term impact of PM2.5 on the incidence of URTI in Beijing, China. Data on hospital visits due to URTI from 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2012 were obtained from the Beijing Medical Claim Data for Employees, a health insurance database. Daily PM2.5 concentration was acquired from the embassy of the United States of America (US) located in Beijing. A generalized additive Poisson model was used to analyze the effect of PM2.5 on hospital visits for URTI. We found that a 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration was associated with 0.84% (95% CI, 0.05–1.64%) increase in hospital admissions for URTI at lag 0–3 days, but there were no significant associations with emergency room or outpatient visits. Compared to females, males were more likely to be hospitalized for URTI when the PM2.5 level increased, but other findings did not differ by age group or gender. The study suggests that short-term variations in PM2.5 concentrations have small but detectable impacts on hospital utilization due to URTI in adults.
Highlights
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide [1,2]
Short-term exposure to PM2.5 has been shown to be related to lung dysfunction or respiratory diseases [16], while higher PM2.5 concentrations have been associated with an increase in emergency department and outpatient visits for Upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) in children [9,12,17]
We aimed to explore the effects of PM2.5 on hospital utilization for URTI in adults using the data from all employees and retired residents who have medical insurance in Beijing
Summary
Fine particulate matter (of aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) (PM2.5 ) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide [1,2]. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) are infections of the mouth, nose, throat, larynx (voice box), and trachea (windpipe). They are the main causes of medical consultation [5] and the leading causes of misuse of antibiotics worldwide [6]. In mainland China, a number of studies have reported a positive relationship between PM2.5 and health in recent years [9,10,11]. Short-term exposure to PM2.5 has been shown to be related to lung dysfunction or respiratory diseases [16], while higher PM2.5 concentrations have been associated with an increase in emergency department and outpatient visits for URTI in children [9,12,17]
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