ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Exposure to air pollutants and illness by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) infection can cause serious pulmonary impairment. OBJECTIVE: To identify a possible association between exposure to air pollutants and hospitalizations due to SARS-Cov-2. DESIGN AND SETTING: Ecological time-series study carried out in Taubaté, Tremembé, and Pindamonhangaba in 2020 and 2021. METHODS: Study with Sars-Cov-2 hospitalizations with information on hospitalization date, sex and age of the subjects, duration of hospitalization, type of discharge, and costs of these hospitalizations. Statistical analysis was performed through a negative binomial regression, with data on pollutant concentrations, temperature, air relative humidity, and hospitalization date. Coefficients obtained by the analysis were transformed into relative risk for hospitalization, which estimated hospitalizations excess according to an increase in pollutant concentrations. RESULTS: There were 1,300 hospitalizations and 368 deaths, with a predominance of men (61.7%). These data represent an incidence rate of 250.4 per 100,000 inhabitants and 28.4% hospital lethality. Significant exposure (P value < 0.05) occurred seven days before hospital admission (lag 7) for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) (relative risk, RR = 1.0124) and two days before hospital admission for PM2.5 (RR = 1.0216). A 10 μg/m3 in NO2 concentration would decrease by 320 hospitalizations and » US $ 240,000 in costs; a 5 μg/m3 in PM2.5 concentration would decrease by 278 hospitalizations and » US $ 190,000 in costs. CONCLUSION: An association between exposure to air pollutants and hospital admission due to Sars-Cov-2 was observed with excess hospitalization and costs for the Brazilian public health system.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Exposure to air pollutants and illness by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) infection can cause serious pulmonary impairment. OBJECTIVE: To identify a possible association between exposure to air pollutants and hospitalizations due to SARS-Cov-2. DESIGN AND SETTING: Ecological time-series study carried out in Taubaté, Tremembé, and Pindamonhangaba in 2020 and 2021. METHODS: Study with Sars-Cov-2 hospitalizations with information on hospitalization date, sex and age of the subjects, duration of hospitalization, type of discharge, and costs of these hospitalizations. Statistical analysis was performed through a negative binomial regression, with data on pollutant concentrations, temperature, air relative humidity, and hospitalization date. Coefficients obtained by the analysis were transformed into relative risk for hospitalization, which estimated hospitalizations excess according to an increase in pollutant concentrations. RESULTS: There were 1,300 hospitalizations and 368 deaths, with a predominance of men (61.7%). These data represent an incidence rate of 250.4 per 100,000 inhabitants and 28.4% hospital lethality. Significant exposure (P value < 0.05) occurred seven days before hospital admission (lag 7) for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) (relative risk, RR = 1.0124) and two days before hospital admission for PM2.5 (RR = 1.0216). A 10 μg/m3 in NO2 concentration would decrease by 320 hospitalizations and » US $ 240,000 in costs; a 5 μg/m3 in PM2.5 concentration would decrease by 278 hospitalizations and » US $ 190,000 in costs. CONCLUSION: An association between exposure to air pollutants and hospital admission due to Sars-Cov-2 was observed with excess hospitalization and costs for the Brazilian public health system.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Exposure to some air pollutants is associated with cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of exposure to fine particulate matter in hospitalizations due to ischemic heart disease and the costs to the healthcare system. DESIGN AND SETTING: Time-series ecological study conducted in Taubaté, Brazil. METHODS: Data on hospitalizations due to ischemic heart diseases (ICD I-20 to I-24) in the municipality of Taubaté (SP), Brazil, among adults of both sexes aged 40 years and over, from August 2011 to July 2012, were obtained from DATASUS. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations were estimated from a mathematical model. Poisson regression was used in statistical analyses to estimate the relative risks of exposure to PM2.5 for both sexes and after stratification according to sex. The excess of hospitalizations and consequent excess expenditure for the healthcare system were calculated. RESULTS: There were 1040 admissions, among which 382 had ischemic heart diseases (257 males). Themean PM2.5 concentration was 13.2 µg/m3 (SD = 5.6). Significant effects from exposure were noted 4and 5 days after exposure (lag 4 and lag 5) for both sexes and for male sex; for female sex, the effect was 2 days after exposure (lag 2). There were 59 excess hospitalizations for an increase in PM2.5 concentration of 5 µg/m3 and excess expenditure of US$ 150,000 for the National Health System. CONCLUSIONS: An excess of hospital admissions due to ischemic heart disease, with excess expenditure, was identified consequent to PM2.5 exposure.