Short-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Schizophrenia Hospitalization: A Case-Crossover Study in Jingmen, China
Yuwei Zhou,
Jixing Yang,
Jingjing Zhang,
Yixiang Wang,
Jiajun Shen,
Yalin Zhang,
Yuxi Tan,
Yunquan Zhang,
Chengyang Hu
Affiliations
Yuwei Zhou
Institute of Social Development and Health Management, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, China
Jixing Yang
School of Public Health, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou 423001, China
Jingjing Zhang
Institute of Social Development and Health Management, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, China
Yixiang Wang
Institute of Social Development and Health Management, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, China
Jiajun Shen
Institute of Social Development and Health Management, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, China
Yalin Zhang
Institute of Social Development and Health Management, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, China
Yuxi Tan
Institute of Social Development and Health Management, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, China
Yunquan Zhang
Institute of Social Development and Health Management, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, China
Chengyang Hu
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
The impact of short-term exposure to air pollutants on the morbidity of schizophrenia, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, remains inadequately explored. The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and the risk of schizophrenia hospitalization in Jingmen, China. We performed a time-stratified case-crossover study using daily records of hospital admissions due to schizophrenia in Jingmen Mental Health Center from 2015 to 2017. Environmental exposures to air pollutants and meteorological conditions on case and control days were estimated on the basis of measurements from ground monitoring stations. To investigate the relationship between short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and the risk of hospitalization for schizophrenia, a conditional logistic regression model was employed. We performed subgroup analyses stratified according to sex, age groups, and season. In total, 4079 schizophrenia hospitalizations were recorded during the designated period. Increased risk of schizophrenia was merely associated with short-term exposure to SO2 and NO2. The estimated odds per interquartile range (IQR) increase in exposure was 1.112 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.033, 1.196) for SO2 (IQR = 12 µg/m3) and 1.112 (95% CI: 1.033, 1.197) for NO2 (IQR = 18 µg/m3) on lag-0 day. Greater air pollution-schizophrenia associations were observed among middle-aged and older adults (over 45 years of age) and during the cold season. This study added case-crossover evidence indicating that short-term exposure to ambient air pollution, specifically SO2 and NO2, is linked to a higher risk of hospital admissions for schizophrenia. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the detrimental effects of air pollution on neuropsychiatric health conditions.
