Hourly Valley Concentration of Air Pollutants Associated with Increased Acute Myocardial Infarction Hospital Admissions in Beijing, China

Abstract

(1) Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) imposes a great burden on global health. Few studies have demonstrated the effects of valley concentration of air pollutants on AMI hospital admissions. (2) Methods: Hospitalizations for AMI from 1 May 2014 to 31 December 2019 were analyzed. Generalized additive models (GAM) were used to quantify the exposure–response association between the hourly peak, mean, and valley concentration of six air pollutants and AMI hospital admissions. Stratification analyses were conducted to identify the susceptible population. (3) Results: Hourly peak, mean, and valley concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, and CO were significantly associated with AMI hospital admissions. Each 10-unit increase in the hourly valley concentration of them led to 0.50% (0.35–0.66%), 0.44 % (0.32–0.56%), 0.84% (0.47–1.22%), 1.86% (0.73–3.01%), and 44.6% (28.99–62.10%) excess risk in AMI hospital admissions, respectively. In addition, the effects of hourly valley concentration were larger than mean and peak concentrations. The effects in the female or older than 65 groups were larger than that in the male or younger than 65 groups. (4) Conclusions: PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, and CO exposure contributed to increased AMI hospital admissions. Hourly valley concentration might be a more potent indicator of adverse cardiovascular events. Females and individuals older than 65 were more susceptible to ambient air pollutant exposure.