Influence of air pollution on hospital admissions for respiratory diseases

Epidemiological studies on the short-term effects of air pollution have shown that patients with respiratory diseases are susceptible to the acute effects of air pollution, and have more exacerbations during periods of increased pollution. The present paper is a review of the epidemiological research conducted during the last 15 years. In this review, we discuss the evidence of relation between short term variations in ambient concentrations of air pollution and hospital admissions for respiratory diseases. Epidemiological research have observed that hospital admissions due to respiratory diseases increased on days with high pollution values. Recent studies investigating the adverse health effects of air pollution indicate that effects exist around and below the current national and international air quality guidelines and standards. Air pollutants may interact between one another as well as with other environmental factors, resulting in different effect estimates depending on local or regional conditions.