Spatiotemporal analysis of the association between Kawasaki disease incidence and PM_2.5 exposure: a nationwide database study in Japan.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis primarily affecting children. While some studies suggest a link between KD and PM_2.5 exposure, findings remain inconsistent. This study aimed to perform spatiotemporal analysis to investigate the impact of monthly and annual exposure to PM_2.5 and other air pollutants on the incidence of KD before and after the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

In this retrospective analysis, we used the Japanese administrative claims database to identify the incidence of KD in children under age 5 in 335 secondary medical care areas across Japan before (from July 2014 to December 2019) and during (from January 2020 to December 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic. For each of these periods, we developed hierarchical

SUBMITTER: Yoneda K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11428985 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature