Abstract ID: 84
Authors:
Andika Pradana
Joel Aik
Mengieng Ung
Amira Permatasari Tarigan
Putri Chairani Eyanoer
Nuryunita Nainggolan
Aida
Dumora Fatma
Renzo R. Guinto
Affiliations:
Department of Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia; Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia; Pre-hospital and Emergency Research Centre, Programme in Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-NUS Medical School, National University of Singapore; SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, Duke-NUS Medical School, National University of Singapore.
Abstract:Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) affects millions of individuals worldwide. COPD exacerbation which is the acute deterioration of respiratory symptoms and may be brought about by exposure to particulate matter (PM) often results in increased hospitalization admissions and reduced quality of life. In Indonesia, industry emissions and forest fires are important contributors to air pollution. Objective: To better understand the relationship between air quality and COPD exacerbation in Median, Indonesia. Materials and Methods: We obtained medical records of all COPD patients hospitalized at the Teaching Hospital of the University of Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia from 2023 to 2024. Data on daily PM2.5 and PM10 were obtained from the Meteorological, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency. We compared the monthly-aggregated time-series trends of the hospitalizations for exacerbated COPD with PM2.5 and PM10. Results: A total of 438 patient records were included in this study (81.7% male, mean age 57.3 years old). Data from April each year was excluded due to public holiday and tradition of returning to hometown which leads to low hospitalization rates and might introduce bias. An increase in COPD exacerbation was observed during September October in 2023, while the peak in 2024 occurred in October. Levels of PM2.5 and PM10 both peaked in October 2023 and May 2024, indicating possible short-term pollutant accumulation during the transitional dry to rainy season. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive association between COPD exacerbation and PM2.5 (Spearman Ï=0.53; p=0.01), but not with PM10 (Ï=-0.39; p= 0.07). Conclusion: PM2.5 exposure plays a significant role in the rise of COPD exacerbation. These findings highlight the importance of air pollution mitigation to prevent COPD exacerbation. To obtain a better understanding of the spatial-temporal variations in environmental influences on COPD, similar studies should be conducted in other regions with diverse air pollution profiles and land use patterns.
Keywords: Climate Change and Planetary Health, COPD, particulate matter, air pollution, exacerbationÂ
