Exposure to fine particulate matter and hospital admissions due to pneumonia: Effects on the number of hospital admissions and its costs

Exposição ao material particulado fino e internações por pneumonias. Efeitos no número de internações e em seus custos

Summary

Objective:

Given that respiratory diseases are a major cause of hospitalization in children, the objectives of this study are to estimate the role of exposure to fine particulate matter in hospitalizations due to pneumonia and a possible reduction in the number of these hospitalizations and costs.

Method:

An ecological time-series study was developed with data on hospitalization for pneumonia among children under 10 years of age living in São José do Rio Preto, state of São Paulo, using PM_2.5 concentrations estimated using a mathematical model. We used Poisson regression with a dependent variable (hospitalization) associated with PM_2.5 concentrations and adjusted for effective temperature, seasonality and day of the week, with estimates of reductions in the number of hospitalizations and costs.

Results:

1,161 children were admitted to hospital between October 1^st, 2011, and September 30^th, 2013; the average concentration of PM_2.5 was 18.7 µg/m³ (≈32 µg/m³ of PM₁₀) and exposure to this pollutant was associated with hospitalization four and five days after exposure.

Conclusion:

A 10 µg/m³ decrease in concentration would imply 256 less hospital admissions and savings of approximately R$ 220,000 in a medium-sized city.

Keywords
particulate matter; air pollutants; pneumonia; child health; health care costs