Association between Ambient Air Pollution and Emergency Room Visits for Pediatric Respiratory Diseases: The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic.

ABSTRACT: The level and composition of air pollution have changed during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the association between air pollution and pediatric respiratory disease emergency department (ED) visits during the COVID-19 pandemic remains unclear. The study was retrospectively conducted between 2017 and 2020 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, from 1 January 2020 to 1 May 2020, defined as the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 1 January 2017 to 31 May 2019, defined as the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period. We enrolled patients under 17 years old who visited the ED in a medical center and were diagnosed with respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis, and acute pharyngitis. Measurements of particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameters of <10 μm (PM₁₀

SUBMITTER: Cheng CY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9146083 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature