The association of chronic air pollutants with coronary artery spasm, vasospastic angina, and endothelial dysfunction

Particulate Matter 10 (PM10) Is Associated with Epistaxis in Children and Adults

The impact of atmospheric concentration of particulate matter ≤10 μm in diameter (PM₁₀) continues to attract research attention. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of meteorological factors, including PM₁₀ concentration, on epistaxis presentation in children and adults. We reviewed the data from 1557 days and 2273 cases of epistaxis between January 2015 and December 2019. Eligible patients were stratified by age into the children (age ≤17 years) and adult groups. The main outcome was the incidence and cumulative number of epistaxis presentations in hospital per day and month. Meteorological factors and PM₁₀ concentration data were obtained from the Korea Meteorological Administration. Several meteorological factors were associated with epistaxis presentation in hospital; however, these associations differed between children and adults. Only PM₁₀ concentration was consistently associated with daily epistaxis presentation in hospital among both children and adults. Additionally, PM₁₀ concentration was associated with the daily cumulative number of epistaxis presentations in hospital in children and adults. Furthermore, the monthly mean PM₁₀ concentration was significantly associated with the total number of epistaxis presentations in the corresponding month. PM₁₀ concentration should be regarded as an important environmental factor that may affect epistaxis in both children and adults.

The correlation between PM2.5 exposure and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy: A Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To find the correlation between exposure to PM_2.5 (fine particulate matter) and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP), and provide medical evidence for decreasing the incidence of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.

METHOD

A combination of computer and manual retrieval was used to search for keywords in PubMed (385 records), Cochrane Library (20 records), Web of Science (419 records) and Embase (325 records). Finally, ten epidemiological articles were considered in this meta-analysis. Stata 13.0 was used to examine the heterogeneity among the studies and to calculate the combined effect value (OR, odds ratio) by selecting the corresponding models. Sensitivity analysis and publication bias test were also performed.

RESULTS

Meta-analysis indicated that there was an association between PM_2.5 exposure (per 10 µg/m³ increase) and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.24-1.87). Exposure to PM_2.5 (per 10 µg/m³ increase) enhanced the risk of pre-eclampsia (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.07-1.61), but there was no evidence relating exposure to PM_2.5 to gestational hypertension (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 0.98-1.87).

CONCLUSION

There is a significant link between exposure to PM_2.5 and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. The first and the third trimester were more susceptible to PM_2.5 exposure. It is recommended to further strengthen protective measures against PM_2.5 during pregnancy.