Effect of Ambient Temperature on Daily Nebulized Asthma Hospital Visits in a Tropical City of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Ayesha Ferdosi Kabir, Chris Fook Sheng Ng, Shinya Yasumoto, Taiichi Hayashi and Chiho Watanabe
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Ayesha Ferdosi Kabir: Department of Human Ecology, School of International Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
Chris Fook Sheng Ng: School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
Shinya Yasumoto: Department of Human Ecology, School of International Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
Taiichi Hayashi: Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
Chiho Watanabe: Department of Human Ecology, School of International Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-10

Abstract: The acute effect of temperature on asthma morbidity in Bangladesh is not well understood. As climate varies extensively in different parts of the world, the relation between temperature and asthma might also differ. We investigated the association between temperature and asthma-related hospital visits in the tropical city of Dhaka. We analyzed information from a total of 5989 asthma patients who received ambulatory care in the form of nebulized medication at the National Asthma Center in Mohakhali, Dhaka from February to November 2013. A time-stratified case-crossover study was conducted to estimate the effect of daily temperature, with consideration of delayed effects and possible confounders such as relative humidity and political strikes. An inverse association was observed between temperature and the number of hospital visits. The effect was delayed for approximately a week. A degree centigrade decrease in mean temperature (averaged across lags 0-6) was associated with an increase of approximately 4.5% (95% CI 1.5, 7.5) in all asthma visits. The association was evident in adult males but marginal in elderly males. A positive association (lag 0) was observed among adult females, whereas no association was observed among children. Strikes significantly modified the effect among the elderly. Findings suggest temperature declines affect asthma outcomes in a warm climate, and this effect can be delayed and vary by sex and age group.

Keywords: outdoor temperature; asthma; short-term exposure; risk assessment; delayed effect; tropical climate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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