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Published on: July 12, 2024
Air pollution and hospitalization for epilepsy in Chile
Sabit Cakmak1, Robert E Dales, Claudia Blanco Vidal
1Health Canada, Ottawa, Canada, Department of Statistics, Ottawa Health Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada. sabit_cakmak@hc-sc.gc.ca
Objective:
To determine the association between gaseous and fine particulate air pollution (PM(2.5)) and epilepsy in a general population sample.
Method:
A daily time-series analyses tested the association between daily hospitalization for epilepsy in seven Chilean urban centers during the period 2001 and 2005. Results were adjusted for long term trends, day-of-the-week, and average humidex on the day of hospitalization and the day before.
Results:
Pooled city estimates of relative risk (95% CI) of hospitalization for epilepsy associated with changes in pollutant concentrations equivalent to their interquartile range were: 1.098(1.045, 1.155) for carbon monoxide (CO); 1.100 (1.025, 1.181) for ozone O(3); 1.085 (1.03, 1.144) for sulfur dioxide (SO(2)); 1.108 (1.021, 1.204) for nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)); 1.083(1.038, 1.13) for particulate matter
Interpretation:
Air pollution may be a risk factor for hospitalization for epilepsy.
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