The aim of the study was to investigate the unknown effect of air pollutants on the occurrence or deterioration of respiratory diseases in the area with a humid continental climate. This ...retrospective study included 5868 patients with respiratory symptomatology (upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), pneumonia, acute bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma) admitted to emergency department (ED). The number of patients, values of meteorological parameters (mean daily values of air temperature pressure and relative humidity) and concentrations of air pollution particles (≤10 μm (PM10), ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)) were collected during a two-year ( July 2008 - June 2010) period. There were 1839 (31.3%), 1712 (29.2%), 1313 (22.4%), 614 (10.5%) and 390 (6.6%) patients with pneumonia, COPD, URTI, acute bronchitis and asthma, respectively. The mean daily concentrations of NO2 (25.9 (1.7-89.7) μg/m3), O3 (47.1 (4.7-135.4) μg/m3) and PM10 particles (25.7 (4.6-146.6) μg/m3) were below the legally defined thresholds. Among other results, the occurrence of respiratory diseases showed positive Spearman's correlation with the values of air humidity (days 0-3, r=0.15 to 0.19), PM10(days 0-3, r=0.10 to 0.13) and NO2 concentrations (day 0, r=0.11), and negative correlation with the values of air temperature (days 0-3, r=-0.36 to -0.34), pressure (day 0, r=-0.10) and O3 concentrations (days 0-3, r=-0.21 to -0.22) (p<0.05 all). In conclusion, the occurrence of respiratory diseases showed correlation with weather conditions and air pollutants despite the legally permitted values in the region with a humid continental climate.
Željeli smo istražiti nepoznati utjecaj onečišćivača zraka na pojavnost ili pogoršanje bolesti dišnoga sustava u području s vlažnom kontinentalnom klimom. Ova retrospektivna studija je obuhvatila ...5868 bolesnika s respiracijskom simptomatologijom (infekcija gornjih dišnih putova (IGDP), upala pluća, akutni bronhitis, kronična opstruktivna plućna bolest (KOPB) i astma) primljenih u hitnu službu. Podaci o broju bolesnika, vrijednostima meteoroloških parametara (srednje dnevne vrijednosti tlaka, temperature zraka i relativne vlage) i koncentracijama čestica onečišćenja zraka (≤10 μm (PM10), ozona (O3) i dušičnog dioksida (NO2)) prikupljeni su tijekom dvije godine (srpanj 2008. – lipanj 2010. godine). Bilo je 1839 (31,3%), 1712 (29,2%), 1313 (22,4%), 614 (10,5%) i 390 (6,6%) bolesnika s upalom pluća, KOPB-om, IGDP-om, akutnim bronhitisom i astmom. Srednje dnevne koncentracije NO2 (25,9 (1,7-89,7) μg/m3), O3 (47,1 (4,7-135,4) μg/m3) i čestica PM10 (25,7 (4,6-146,6) μg/m3) bile su ispod zakonski definirane granične vrijednosti. Među ostalim rezultatima, ukupna pojavnost bolesti dišnoga sustava bila je u pozitivnoj Spearmanovoj korelaciji s vlažnosti zraka (dani 0-3, r=0,15-0,19) i koncentracijom čestica PM10 (dani 0-3, r=0,10-0,13) i NO2 (dan 0, r=0,11), a u negativnoj korelaciji s temperaturom (dani 0-3, r=-0,36 do -0,34) i tlakom zraka (dan 0, r=-0,10) te koncentracijom čestica O3 (dani 0-3, r=-0,21 do -0,22) (za sve p<0,05). U zaključku, pojavnost bolesti dišnoga sustava pokazala je korelaciju s vremenskim uvjetima i onečišćivačima zraka unatoč zakonski dopuštenim vrijednostima u području s vlažnom kontinentalnom klimom.