Winter temperature inversions and emergency department visits for asthma in Salt Lake County, Utah, 2003-2008.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Winter temperature inversions-layers of air in which temperature increases with altitude-trap air pollutants and lead to higher pollutant concentrations. Previous studies have evaluated associations between pollutants and emergency department (ED) visits for asthma, but none have considered inversions as independent risk factors for ED visits for asthma.

Objective

We aimed to assess associations between winter inversions and ED visits for asthma in Salt Lake County, Utah.

Methods

We obtained electronic records of ED visits for asthma and data on inversions, weather, and air pollutants for Salt Lake County, Utah, during the winters of 2003 through 2004 to 2007 through 2008. We identified 3,425 ED visits using a primary diagnosis of asthma. We used a time-str

SUBMITTER: Beard JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3491922 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature