425
Views
13
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Short-Term Effects of Fine Particulate Air Pollution on Ischemic Stroke Occurrence: A Case-Crossover Study

&
Pages 1188-1197 | Received 08 Jul 2013, Accepted 14 Aug 2013, Published online: 27 Nov 2013
 

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine whether there was a correlation between fine particles (PM2.5) levels and hospital admissions for ischemic stroke (IS) in Taipei, Taiwan. Hospital admissions for IS and ambient air pollution data for Taipei were obtained for the period from 2006–2010. The relative risk of hospital admissions was estimated using a case-crossover approach, controlling for weather variables, day of the week, seasonality, and long-term time trends. For the single-pollutant model (without adjustment for other pollutants), increased admissions for IS were significantly associated with higher levels of PM2.5 on both warm days (>23°C) and cool days (<23°C), with an interquartile range rise associated with a 11% (95% CI = 8–14%) and 4% (95% CI = 2–7%) elevation in admissions for IS, respectively. In the two-pollutant models, PM2.5 remained significantly increased after inclusion of sulfur dioxide (SO2) or ozone (O3) on both warm and cool days. This study provides evidence that higher levels of PM2.5 enhance the risk of hospital admissions for IS.

Acknowledgments

This study is based in part on data from the National Insurance Research Database provided by the Bureau of National Health Insurance, Department of Health, and managed by National Health Research Institutes. The interpretation and conclusions contained herein do not represent those of Bureau of National Health Insurance, Department of Health, or National Health Research Institutes. This study was supported by a grant from National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan (EO-101-PP-08).

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.