Hospital Respiratory Admissions Linked to Air Pollution

A study of elderly people in the United States has revealed a strong link between air pollution and increased medical care and costs, especially for respiratory ailments. The study appeared in the November/December issue of Health Affairs.

Comparing cities with the most pollution to those with the least, researchers found that there was relatively little difference in surgery rates, but there was a 19% difference in admissions to a hospital for respiratory conditions. Air pollution is worst where the population is largest. Hospital admissions were greatest in the southern part of the country and in the southwest, while outpatient care was twice as high in Florida as in the less-populated regions of the northwest.

The researchers examined the medical records and pollution measures in 183 metropolitan areas, adjusting their findings to account for differences in region, population size, education level, income level, percentage of sick population, cigarette consumption, obesity, and percentage of black population. Overall, respiratory admissions showed a very strong relation to pollution.

"This study shows that use of medical care is significantly higher in areas with more pollution and that decreased use of care is an important benefit from pollution control. Pollution control offers an important opportunity for further gains in health and reductions in medical care spending,” say Victor R. Fuchs, a professor at Stanford University (Stanford, CA, USA), and Sarah Rosen Franks, a doctoral ), the authors of the study.




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