Air pollution is a well-known risk factor for respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Air pollution is a well-known risk factor for respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, its contribution to lower respiratory infections —those that affect the lower respiratory tract, including the lungs, bronchi and alveoli— is less well documented, especially in adults. To fill this gap in knowledge, a team from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, assessed the effect of air pollution on hospital admissions for lower respiratory infections in adults, and investigated the existence of subgroups that are particularly vulnerable to these infections. The results have been published in the journal Environment International.
The research shows that long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) air pollution is associated with more hospital admissions for lower respiratory tract infections in adults. The associations were stronger in men, people over 65 years of age and those diagnosed with hypertension.
The study involved 3,800,000 adults from the COVAIR-CAT cohort, a large cohort of 7.7 million people based on the health system of Catalonia. The research team used exposure models to estimate annual average concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and ozone during the warm season (May-September) between 2018 and 2020 at the participants' residences. Information on hospital admissions, mortality and comorbidities was obtained from various administrative databases. The study included hospital admissions for all lower respiratory infections and, separately, the subgroup of hospital admissions for influenza and pneumonia. A statistical model was then used to assess the association between air pollution and hospital admissions.
Read more at Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
