THE EFFECTS OF ASIAN CONTINENTAL DUST STORMS ON HEMOSTATIC FACTORS AMONG PATIENTS WITH CORONARY HEART DISEASE

Abstract

Introduction The Asian continental dust storms, originated mainly from the deserts bordering China and Mongolia, increasingly influenced the air quality of Taiwan between February and May in recent years. The concentrations of both coarse (PM10) and fine (PM2.5) particles increased in northern Taiwan during the dust storm periods. The potential health impact of the dust storms was worried by the people but not investigated before. The purpose of this study is to estimate adverse health effects of the Asian continental dust storms among susceptible Taipei residents in 2002. Methods We investigated associations between dust storms and hemostatic factors for 14 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and 7 patients without CHD in Taipei during the dust storm period in 2002. Baseline measurements including hemostatic factors (tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), fibrinogen, Ddimer), and inflammatory markers (high sensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin-6) are measured before dust storms reach Taiwan. Air pollution data including PM10, PM2.5, O3; SO2, NO2, and CO are obtained from 5 monitoring stations in Taiwan. During the dust storm period from March to May in 2002, we recall all study subjects and perform hemostatic measurements on them. Results The concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, and O3 increased significantly during the dust storm period. We find plasma tPA increase significantly in both groups. PAI-1 shows slightly but not significantly decrease in the CHD group. There is no significant change in inflammatory marker of interleukin-6. Compared with non-CHD group. Conclusions Long-range transported pollution of Asian continental dust storm elevated environmental concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, and O3 in Taipei. The elevated pollution results in increase in plasma tPA levels among susceptible patients in Taipei.