PM10 e ricoveri cardiorespiratori in sei comuni lombardi

Aim – This study was built in order to investigate the effect of particulate matter (PM10) on cardiovascular and respiratory systems, through the analysis of hospital admissions occurred in six cities in Lombardy Region during year 2005, for pathologies affecting the aforementioned systems. Materials and methods – Cardiovascular and respiratory events were selected from the regional database of hospital discharge. ARPA Lombardy provided data about daily average of PM10 concentration, temperature and relative humidity. We used a generalized additive model to estimate the relationship between the daily frequency of admission per 100.000 residents and the pollutant concentration. We also evaluated the effect modifications due to sex and age. Results – We selected 13.207 admissions, mainly for cardiovascular events. The analysis highlighted an increase in the frequency of respiratory admissions in correspondence with high PM10 concentration. The effect was stronger on young women throughout the year and on elderly people, especially in the warm season. There was evidence for an increase in the frequency of cardiovascular admissions in days with high PM10 concentration during the warm season. Discussion – Results suggest that high concentrations of PM10 may have negative effects on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, especially when associated with warm and humid weather conditions.