Short-term effects of ambient air pollutants on neurological hospital admissions: a time-series analysis in a northern Chinese city.
TL;DR
Short-term exposure to air pollution increases the risk of hospital admissions for neurological disorders, particularly during the cold season, with PM2.5 contributing the largest disease burden.
Abstract
Background
Air pollution is an important environmental factor influencing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and growing experimental evidence suggests that exposure to air pollutants can also cause neuroinflammation and neuronal damage. However, epidemiological evidence on the impact of air pollution exposure on neurological disorders remains limited. This study aims to evaluate the impact of short-term air pollution exposure on hospital admissions for neurological disorders.
Methods
A total of 249,717 hospital admissions for neurological disorders in Harbin, China, from 2014 to 2023, were collected in this registry-based cohort study. Distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was used to evaluate the effects of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, CO, and a composite pollution index on overall neurological disorders, specific ICD disease modules and categories. Stratified analyses by sex, age, pandemic period, and season were further performed to identify high-risk subpopulations and examine variations in susceptibility to air pollution. Attributable risk estimations were further performed to assess the disease burden attributable to air pollution.
Results
Exposure to PM2.5 (RR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.14-1.32), NO2 (RR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.10-1.27), PM10 (RR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.06-1.19), and CO (RR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.03-1.19) was associated with increased hospital admissions for overall neurological disorders. These associations were stronger in the cold season than in the warm season. Attributable risk analysis suggested that PM2.5 contributed the largest burden, accounting for 8.46% (95% CI: 5.46%-10.76%) of admissions. Different ICD disease modules and categories exhibited varying associations with different air pollutants.
Conclusions
Short-term exposure to air pollution increases the risk of hospital admissions for neurological disorders, particularly during the cold season, with PM2.5 contributing the largest disease burden.