Urban air pollution and asthma in children

This study investigated the relationship between atmospheric pollution and emergency hospital admission for asthma among children resident in Turin in the period 1997-1999, using a case-control design. On the basis of the primary diagnosis, pediatric patients (< 15 years old) resident in Turin and admitted for asthma were defined as cases (n(1) = 1,060); age-matched patients admitted for causes other than respiratory diseases or heart diseases were defined as controls (n(2) = 25,523). Nitrogen dioxide (NO(2) in microg/m(3)) and total suspended particulates (TSP in microg/m(3)) were considered as indicators of urban air pollution; sex and age of patient, seasonality, temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and day of admission were considered as principal confounders. Statistical analyses were performed using simple and multiple logistic regression models; the association between emergency admission for asthma and exposure was shown as percentage of risk modification for a 10 microg/m(3) increment of exposure to each pollutant and relative 95% confidence interval. The number of emergency admissions for respiratory causes rose significantly with increased exposure to each pollutant: 2.8% (95% CI, 0.7-4.9%) and 1.8% (95% CI, 0.3-3.2) for a 10 microg/m(3) increment of exposure to NO(2) and TSP, respectively. A significant association was found between increased number of hospital emergency admissions for respiratory causes and exposure to principal urban pollutants in Turin. The study confirms the results reported for other Italian and European cities, using a case-control design.