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Wildfire PM2.5 Linked to Increase in Incidence of Asthma ED Visits

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Aug. 28, 2023 -- Wildfire fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with a significant increase in the incidence of same-day asthma emergency department (ED) visits, but the increase was only slightly higher than that seen on high pollen count days, according to a research letter published online Aug. 15 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Noting that during early June 2023, a low-pressure weather system induced strong winds carrying wildfire pollution from Canada into the United States, George Thurston, Sc.D., from the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, and colleagues examined the impact on respiratory ED visits in New York City (NYC).

The researchers found that during 2023, June 7 was the highest asthma ED visit day with 335 ED visits, but was only 10 percent higher than earlier high pollen period days (e.g., 302 ED visits on April 6, 2023). The predicted excess wildfire PM2.5 reached 146.1 µg/m3 on June 7, 2023. The NYC wildfire PM2.5 was associated with asthma ED visits (incidence rate ratio, 1.03 per 10 µg/m3 increment), but no association was seen for background PM2.5 during this period. No association was seen for pollen counts with PM2.5; inclusion of pollen counts did not affect the wildfire PM2.5 effect estimates. In stratified analyses, the wildfire PM2.5 asthma effect was more pronounced in those aged 18 to 65 years versus those aged younger than 18 years or older than 65 years.

"The respiratory effects of the wildfire smoke in June were not much worse than what had been seen on really bad pollen days back in the spring, and despite what many New Yorkers may have feared on seeing hazy, orange air,” Wuyue Yu, from NYU Langone Health, said in a statement.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted August 2023

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