Pollen Exposure and Cardiopulmonary Health Impacts in Adelaide, South Australia

Monika Nitschke, David Simon, Keith Dear, Kamalesh Venugopal, Hubertus Jersmann and Katrina Lyne
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Monika Nitschke: Department for Health and Wellbeing, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
David Simon: Department for Health and Wellbeing, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
Keith Dear: School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
Kamalesh Venugopal: Wellbeing SA, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
Hubertus Jersmann: Department of Thoracic Medicine, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
Katrina Lyne: Department for Health and Wellbeing, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-13

Abstract: (1) Background: Limited research has suggested that cardiopulmonary health outcomes should be considered in relation to pollen exposure. This study sets out to test the relationship between pollen types (grasses, trees, weeds) and cardiovascular, lower respiratory and COPD health outcomes using 15 years (2003–2017) of data gathered in Adelaide, South Australia; (2) Methods: A time-series analysis by months was conducted using cardiopulmonary data from hospital admissions, emergency presentations and ambulance callouts in relation to daily pollen concentrations in children (0–17) for lower respiratory outcomes and for adults (18+). Incidence rate ratios (IRR) were calculated over lags from 0 to 7 days; (3) Results: IRR increases in cardiovascular outcomes in March, May, and October were related to grass pollen, while increases in July, November, and December were related to tree pollen. IRRs ranged from IRR 1.05 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00–1.10) to 1.25 (95% CI 1.12–1.40). COPD increases related to grass pollen occurred only in May. Pollen-related increases were observed for lower respiratory outcomes in adults and in children; (4) Conclusion: Notable increases in pollen-related associations with cardiopulmonary outcomes were not restricted to any one season. Prevention measures for pollen-related health effects should be widened to consider cardiopulmonary outcomes.

Keywords: pollen count; cardiovascular health; COPD; lower respiratory; time series study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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