The effect of known and unknown confounders on the relationship between air pollution and Covid-19 mortality in Italy: A sensitivity analysis of an ecological study based on the E-value.

ABSTRACT: Back in December 2019, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) started rapidly spreading worldwide, especially in Italy that was among the most affected countries. The geographical distribution of air pollution and Covid-19 mortality in Italy suggested atmospheric pollution as a worsening factor of severe Covid-19 health outcomes. The present nationwide ecological study focused on all 107 Italian territorial areas, aiming to assess the potential association between Particulate Matter concentration, less than 2.5 μm in diameter (exposure), and Covid-19 mortality rate (outcome) throughout 2020, by looking at 28 potential confounders. A potential positive association between exposure and outcome was observed when performing a multivariate regression analysis with a Negative Binomial mod

SUBMITTER: Aloisi V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8487852 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature