Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease that progresses over time. Although smoking is the most significant risk factor, 30% of COPD patients never smoked, and environmental factors also played a role. Extensive research on the effects of air pollution and meteorological conditions on COPD exacerbations is lacking. This study was to look into the air contaminants and climatic conditions that influence the occurrence of COPD exacerbations. The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) provided clinical data on COPD exacerbation instances, which researchers combined with 24-hour average values of air contaminants and meteorological elements from national databases.

Patients living in eight major cities with a high density of observatory stations were chosen for the study. RESULTS Between 2013 and 2018, 15,282 COPD exacerbations resulting in hospitalisation or emergency department visits were detected in 1,404,505 COPD patients. Particulate matter (PM)2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, average temperature, and diurnal temperature range (DTR) were among the air contaminants and meteorological parameters linked to COPD exacerbations. Using PM2.5, PM10, CO, NO2, SO2, O3, DTR, and humidity, GAM model analysis with cubic splines revealed an inverted U-shaped association, while the average temperature revealed a U-shaped pattern. From 2015-2016 to 2017-2018, researchers discovered distinct patterns.PM2.5, PM10, CO, NO2, O3, SO2, average temperature, humidity, and DTR all influenced the occurrence of COPD exacerbations in different ways, with lag times of up to 10 days.

Reference:www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1513/AnnalsATS.202103-298OC

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