Low Levels of PM Trigger Hospital Admissions for Congestive Heart Failure
PM10 concentrations below current EPA standards are associated with an increased rate of hospital admissions for congestive heart failure, in a study of seven U.S. cities.
The cities studied were Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, New Haven, Minneapolis, Birmingham, and Seattle. Researchers evaluated the association between daily levels of PM10 and the rate of hospitalization for congestive heart failure in Medicare recipients (aged 65 or older). Overall, a 10 µg/m3 increase in PM10 was associated with a 0.72% increase in hospital admissions on the same date. Researches conclude “these results support the hypothesis that elevated levels of particulate air pollution, below the current limits set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, are associated with an increase in the rate of hospital admission for exacerbation of CHF [congestive heart failure].”
A related study in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania evaluated the association between ambient air pollution and the rate of hospitalization for congestive heart failure among Medicare recipients in Allegheny County from 1987 to 1999. The study looked at 55,000 patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of congestive heart failure. PM10, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, but not ozone, were positively and significantly associated with the rate of admission on the same day, with the strongest associations observed with CO, nitrogen dioxide, and PM10. The associations with carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide were the most robust in two-pollutant models.
The results suggest that short-term elevations in air pollution from traffic-related sources may trigger acute cardiac decompensation in heart failure patients.
Wellenius GA, Schwartz J, and Mittleman MA. Particulate Air Pollution and Hospital Admissions for Congestive Heart Failure in Seven United States Cities. Am J Cardiol 2006; in press.
For a copy of the abstract click here.
Wellenius GA, Bateson TF, Mittleman MA, Schwartz J. Particulate Air Pollution and the Rate of Hospitalization for Congestive Heart Failure among Medicare Beneficiaries in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Am J Epidem 2005; 161:1030-1036.
For a copy of the abstract click here.
