BORA KUNAY, ÖZGE YILMAZ, HASAN YÜKSEL
The Journal of Pediatric Research - 2025;12(2):83-89
Aim Outdoor air pollution can cause many acute or chronic diseases in childhood, with respiratory tract diseases being the leading outcome. Very little childhood data exists to investigate the levels of exposure to pollution. This study aimed to reveal the relationship between pollution and acute respiratory disease in children. Materials and Methods This study involved 38,696 patients admitted to pediatric emergency services with respiratory complaints. PM10 and SO2 were selected as indicators of air pollution. Daily data on these indicators were obtained from the province’s Air Quality Monitoring Stations website. Data were assessed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation test, and logistic regression. RESULTS Among the admitted children, 44.8% were female, and 55.2% were male, with the majority (42.3%) aged 0-3 years. PM10 levels exceeded the World Health Organization daily limit (50 µg/m³) on 314 days, with a mean value of 76.54±28.13 µg/m³. SO2 levels exceeded the 20 µg/m³ limit on 17 days, with a mean of 9.99±5.79 µg/m³. Positive correlations were found between PM10 and SO2 with respect to hospital admissions (p<0.01). Logistic regression revealed significant associations between PM10 and all respiratory conditions, while SO2 was linked to acute nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory infections, bronchiolitis, and asthma (p<0.01). CONCLUSION Parameters regarding outdoor air pollution positively correlated with acute respiratory tract findings in childhood and acute exacerbation of chronic diseases. Therefore, outdoor air pollution should be considered the most important environmental risk factor for childhood respiratory tract health.
