Air pollution positively correlates with daily stroke admission and in hospital mortality: a study in the urban area of Como, Italy

Some current evidences suggest that stroke\r\nincidence and mortality may be higher in elevated air\r\npollution areas. Our study examined the hypothesis of a\r\ncorrelation between air pollution level and ischemic stroke\r\nadmission and in Hospital mortality in an urban population.\r\nData on a total of 759 stroke admissions and 180 deaths\r\nhave been obtained over a 4-year period (2000–2003). Five\r\nair ambient particles have been studied. A general additive\r\nmodel estimating Poisson distribution has been used, adding\r\nmeteorological variables as covariates. NO2 and PM10\r\nwere significantly associated with admission and mortality\r\n(P value.05) and with estimated RR of 1.039 (95% CI\r\n1.066–1.013) and 1.078 (95% CI 1.104–1.052) for hospital\r\nadmission at 2- and 4-day lags, respectively. In conclusion,\r\nthis study suggests an association between short-term\r\noutdoor air pollution exposure and ischemic stroke\r\nadmission and mortality.