DocWire News Editors

DocwireNews

A study that was published online as part of the ATS 2020 International Conference assessed correlations of ambient air quality, temperature, and relative humidity with fatal asthma exacerbations among children.North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner records were obtained for all deaths of children aged five to 19 years that took place between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2016, in North Carolina, for which the primary cause of death was identified as asthma. For each fatality, researchers linked modeled mean ambient concentrations of particulate matter &le;2.5 &micro;m in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5), mean ambient concentrations of ozone (O3) in parts per billion (ppb), mean ambient air temperature, and mean ambient relative humidity by where and when the death took place.They evaluated the correlations between the environmental variables and asthma deaths with a case-crossover analysis comparing environmental characteristics of each fatality&rsquo;s county and death date and on matched comparison days (days falling on the same days of the week in the same month and year as the asthma death). Three linear spline terms with knots at the 33rd and 67th percentiles were created for each environmental characteristic; same-day and one- to five-day lagged daily means were considered. The final metrics for each characteristic were determined by model fit of the univariate models.The final models included PM2.5 (four-day lag), O3 (five-day lag), temperature (three-day lag), and same-day relative humidity. A total of 81 deaths among children were identified during the study period; most children (n=44; 54%) were male and black (n=66; 82%). More than half of deaths (n=46; 57%) occurred between October and March. In the final model, for every ppb increase in O3 in the highest tertile, the risk of fatal asthma increased by 8% (odds ratio [OR], 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.14). For every percentage increase in relative humidity in the highest tertile, the odds of fatal asthma increased by 16% (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.05-1.28). The other analyzed relationships were weak, with 95% CIs largely overlapping unity.&ldquo;These results suggest that selected ambient environmental conditions might be associated with an increased risk of fatal exacerbations of asthma among children in North Carolina,&rdquo; the researchers summarized.

MarkAlain Déry, DO

Eric Griggs, MD

Measles in America: An Ongoing Problem

Infectious Disease

Roger Rodby, MD

Joel M. Topf, MD, FACP

Seldin Award Winner Advocates Online Education

NKF Spring Clinical Meetings 2025

Hatem Soliman, MD

The Future of Dendritic Cell Vaccines in HER2+ Breast Cancer: Toward De-Escalation of Chemotherapy

HER2 Breast Cancer

Latest News

Air Quality May be Correlated with Fatal Asthma Exacerbations

ATS 2020 Conference Coverage

A study that was published online as part of the ATS 2020 International Conference assessed correlations of ambient air quality, temperature, and relative humidity with fatal ...

About Us

Editorial Policy

Advertising

Contact Us

eNewsletters

Contribute

Career Center

MashupMD

Blood Cancers Today

Cancer Nursing Today

GU Oncology Now

Urban Health Today

Bile Duct Cancer

Colorectal Cancer

Gastroesophageal Cancer

Gastric Cancer

GEP-NETs

GIST

Liver Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer

GI Oncology Now

Anemia

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Essential Thrombocythemia

Hemophilia

Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Myelofibrosis

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Polycythemia Vera

Pulmonary Embolism

Sickle Cell Disease

Thrombocytopenia

Thrombophilia

Thrombosis

Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Venous Thromboembolism

von Willebrand Disease

Heme Today

Acute Kidney Injury

ADPKD

Anemia and Kidney Disease

Chronic Kidney Disease

COVID-19 and Kidney Disease

Diabetes and Hypertension

End-Stage Renal Disease

Gout

Hyperkalemia

IgAN

Kidney Transplantation

Metabolic Acidosis

Nephrology Times

HR Breast Cancer

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Genetics & Breast Cancer

Breast Cancers Today

Atherosclerotic Disease

Atrial Fibrillation

Heart Failure

Hypertension

Interventional Cardiology

Lipid Management

Practice Tips With Dr. Lichaa

Preventive Cardiology

Stroke

Cardiology

Breast Cancer

Gynecologic Cancer

Head and Neck Cancer

Skin Cancer

Oncology

Sleep

Urology

Diabetes

Ophthalmology

— Demodex Blepharitis

Neurology

Rheumatology

Gastroenterology

Pulmonology

Infectious Diseases

— HIV

Health and Wellness

Lupus

Future of Medicine

Orthopedics

Pharmacology

Career News

More

Conferences

CardioNerds

The Sleep Source With Dr. Morse

Rheumatology Rounds With Dr. Maheswaranathan

Partners

Expert Interviews

Subscribe