Short-term effects of outdoor particulate matter pollution on outpatient visits for urticaria in Lanzhou, China

This study aimed to evaluate the short-term effects of PM (PM2.5, PM10, and PMc) on daily outpatient visits for urticaria diseases in Lanzhou, China, during 2013 –2017. A total of 74,232 outpatient visits for urticaria were collected during the 5 years. A generalized additive Poisson model, based on a sex and age subgroups, was applied to analyze the daily outpatient visits for urticaria diseases. ER and 95% CI were calculated to evaluate the association b etween every 10 μg/m3 increment of PM pollutants and clinical visits. Increased concentrations of ambient PM2.5, PM10, and PMc were significantly associated with increased numbers of outpatient visits over the 5 years. The largest significant effects for PM2.5, PM10, and PMc on urticaria outpatient visits were observed at lag0, lag6, and lag6, respectively. A 10 μg/m3 increment in concentration of PM2.5, PM10, and PMc were associated with 0.406 (95% CI − 0.093, 0.909), 0.307 (95% CI 0.004, 0.515), and 0.199 (95% CI 0.007, 0.391) increases in urticaria outpatient visits. The younger and elderly populations were susceptible to PM. The association of PM10 and female urticaria outpatient visit was long lag periods, while in males, was short lag periods. PM concentration indicates the increased risk of urticaria. The gaps among both sexes and ages for urticaria should have biological and pollution control implications.
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research