engleski

Short-Term Association Between Air Polution and Emergency Room Visits for Chronic Bronchitis in Zagreb, Croatia

The objective of this study was to assess the potential relationship between the daily levels of black smoke, total suspended particles (TSP), NO_2, O_3 and SO_2 with the number of emergency room visits due to chronic bronchitis in the city of Zagreb. Daily numbers of emergency room visits were compiled from the clinical records of 3 lung hospitals in Zagreb metropolitan area, from Jan.1, 1994 to Dec. 31, 1995. Visits with diagnoses coded by ICD-9 codes 490-492, 494 and 496 were counted Data were analysed using the methodological procedure established by the APHEA collaborative group. Seasonality and trend were removed by LOESS regression. Effects of weekend and weather (mean daily temperature, rel. humidity, air pressure and water vapour pressure) were included in the analysis. Data were analysed using autoregressive linear regression on logarithmically transformed counts for each pollutant separately. A significant relationship was found only for the TPS on a day before the visit. Relative risk for an increase of 10 micro g/m^3 was 1.0155 with the 95% confidence interval of (1.0011, 1.0301). The study provided further evidence of the effects of particulate pollution (total suspended particles) on chronic bronchitis.

obstructive pulmonary disease; air pollution; time series; emergency room visits

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