Short-Term Effects of Ambient Air Pollution On Daily Emergency Room Visits for Abdominal Pain: A Time-Series Study in Wuhan, China

Background There are few studies focused on the correlations between ambient air pollution and abdominal pain, especially in emergency departments in China. Method: Daily data (from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018), including air pollution concentration (SO2, NO2, PM2.5, PM10, CO, and O3) and meteorological variables, for daily emergency room visits (ERVs) were collected in Wuhan, China. We conducted a time-series study to investigate the potential correlation between six ambient air pollutants and ERVs for abdominal pain and their effects, in different genders, ages and seasons. Results A total of 16,306 abdominal pain ERVs were identified during the study period. A 10-µg/m3 increase in concentration of SO2, NO2, PM2.5, PM10, CO, and O3 corresponded respectively to incremental increases in abdominal pain of 6.12% (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.44-13.12), 1.65% (95%CI: -0.25-3.59), 1.12% (95%CI: -0.18-2.44), 0.38% (95%CI: -1.09-1.87), 9.87% (95%CI:3.14–17.05) and 1.11% (95%CI: 0.03–2.21). We observed significant correlations between CO and O3 and daily abdominal pain ERVs increase, and positive but insignificant correlations between the other pollutants and ERVs. The effects were stronger mainly for females (especially SO2 and O3) and younger people (especially CO and O3). The correlations of PM2.5 and PM10 were stronger in cool seasons, while the correlation of CO was stronger in warm seasons. Conclusion Our time-series study suggested that short-term exposure to air pollution (especially CO and O3) was positively correlated with ERVs for abdominal pain in Wuhan, China, and that their effects varied by season, gender and age. These data can add evidence on how air pollutants affect the human body, and may prompt hospitals to take specific precautions on polluted days and maintain order in emergency departments made busier due to the pollution.