J Korean Med Assoc.  2007 Feb;50(2):191-196. 10.5124/jkma.2007.50.2.191.

Air Pollution Effects in the Elderly Population

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Preventive Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Korea. hojang@dku.edu

Abstract

Alot of studies on the associations between outdoor air pollution and effects on both acute and chronic mortality and hospital admissions have been published worldwide. The elderly population seems to be at a higher mortality and morbidity risk for air pollution. Time series studies based on Korean population show that elderly population are at higher risk of death due to nitrogen dioxide and Asian dust events. A study of daily hospital admission in Seoul shows that for ischemic heart disease the relative risk of admission associated with particle in the population aged 65 and more is two times higher that of younger population. APHEA (Air pollution on health; a European approach) projects show the similar trend of increased risk in elderly population. The effects of daily ambient particle concentrations on the number of deaths among the elderly in 28 European cities are consistently larger, by 10 ~ 20%, than those estimated for all age mortality. The mechanisms for the adverse health effects of air pollution have yet to be elucidated. A possible explanation is that air pollution adds the extra vulnerability which leads to increased risk of disease and morbidity. Regarding the fact that the proportion of elderly population has rapidly increased in Korea, we need to urgently lower the air pollution levels enough to protect the most sensitive populations including the elderly people.

Keyword

Air pollution; Elderly population; Mortality; Hospital admission

MeSH Terms

Aged*
Air Pollution*
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Dust
Humans
Korea
Mortality
Myocardial Ischemia
Nitrogen Dioxide
Seoul
Vulnerable Populations
Dust
Nitrogen Dioxide

Figure

  • Figure 1 Comparison by age of the increased risk of death associated with an interquartile increment of nitrogen dioxide in Seoul

  • Figure 2 A conceptual model showing how the added effect of air pollution could bring forward the onset of clinical disease and death Adapted from Anderson HR, et al.(7)


Reference

1. Kwon HJ, Cho SH, Nyberg F, Pershagen G. Effects of ambient air pollution on daily mortality in a cohort of patients with congestive heart failure. Epidemiology. 2001. 12:413–419.
Article
2. Kwon HJ, Cho SH, Chun Y, Lagarde F, Pershagen G. Effects of the Asian dust events on daily mortality in Seoul, Korea. Environ Res. 2002. 90:1–5.
Article
3. Lee JT, Kim H, Cho YS, Hong YC, Ha EH, Park H. Air pollution and hospital admissions for ischemic heart diseases among individuals 64+ years of age residing in Seoul, Korea. Arch Environ Health. 2003. 58:617–623.
Article
4. Aga E, Samoli E, Touloumi G, Anderson HR, Cadum E, Forsberg B, Goodman P, Goren A, Kotesovec F, Kriz B, Macarol-Hiti M, Medina S, Paldy A, Schindler C, Sunyer J, Tittanen P, Wojtyniak B, Zmirou D, Schwartz J, Katsouyanni K. Short-term effects of ambient particles on mortality in the elderly: results from 28 cities in the APHEA2 project. Eur Respir J. 2003. 40:S. 28–33.
Article
5. Le Tertre A, Medina S, Samoli E, Forsberg B, Michelozzi P, Boumghar A, Vonk JM, Bellini A, Atkinson R, Ayres JG, Sunyer J, Schwartz J, Katsouyanni K. Short-term effects of particulate air pollution on cardiovascular diseases in eight European cities. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2002. 56:773–779.
Article
6. Barnett AG, Williams GM, Schwartz J, Best TL, Neller AH, Petroeschevsky AL, Simpson RW. The effects of air pollution on hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease in elderly people in Australian and New Zealand cities. Environ Health Perspect. 2006. 114:1018–1023.
Article
7. Anderson HR, Atkinson RW, Bremner SA, Marston L. Particulate air pollution and hospital admissions for cardiorespiratory diseases: are the elderly at greater risk? Eur Respir J. 2003. 40:S. 39–46.
Article
8. Kelly FJ, Dunster C, Mudway I. Air pollution and the elderly: oxidant/antioxidant issues worth consideration. Eur Respir J. 2003. 40:S. 70–75.
Article
Full Text Links
  • JKMA
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr