The correlation between air pollution and the allergic rhinitis incidence: Erzincan model

Air pollution is a significant public health problem in our country as well as all over the world. The effects of air pollutants on the respiratory tract are well-known. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the changes in air pollutant parameters during the year and the number of patients who applied to ENT outpatient clinics due to allergic rhinitis in the Erzincan city center between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022.

In this cross-sectional, descriptive study, average 24-hour PM10, PM2,5, SO2, NO2, and CO measurements were taken in the city center between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022, using the Air Quality Monitoring Stations website of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. All allergic rhinitis patients who applied to ENT outpatient clinics were included in the study. The data analysis used median, minimum (min), maximum (max) values, percentages, and Spearman Correlation tests for descriptive statistics.

According to the WHO limit values, the number of days exceeded in all parameters during the specified years in Erzincan was found to be quite high. When the number of patients who had been admitted to ENT outpatient clinics was examined, a significant correlation was found between the average SO2, CO values and the number of hospital admissions for 2020, and between the average PM10, SO2, NO2 and CO and the number of hospital admissions for 2021.

Environmental control and public health strategies should be implemented to address this increasingly complex problem.