The relationship between asthma and hypertension in children and adolescents and atmospheric air pollution in Bielsko-Biała

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic diseases are one of the most serious phenomena and problems in the modern world. These include: asthma, allergies and arterial hypertension (hypertension). Even short-term exposure to polluted air increases the incidence of both hypertension and asthma. The aim of the study is to determine the relationship between the level of selected atmospheric air pollutants in the city of Bielsko-Biała in the years 2018–2022 (nitrogen dioxide, suspended dust PM2.5 and PM10 and benzo(a)pyrene) and the incidence of asthma and hypertensive disease among children and youth from 0 to 18 years of age in Bielsko-Biała. Material and methods: Based on data from the Health Department – the Silesian Voivodeship Office in Katowice regarding the incidence of asthma and hypertensive disease, tables and graphs illustrating the incidence of these diseases were prepared. The annual average concentrations of selected air pollutants were also taken into account. Based on the Statistica program and Pearson correlation coefficients, the relationship between the occurrence of asthma, hypertensive disease and air pollution was examined. Results: The incidence of hypertension and asthma among children and adolescents in Bielsko-Biała is decreasing and amounted to 32.1/10,000 in 2018 and 18.7/10,000 in 2022 in the case of hypertensive disease, and 394.8/10,000 in 2018 and 319.9/10,000 in 2022 for asthma. The average annual concentration of PM10 and benzo(a)pyrene is also decreasing. Conclusions: In the discussed period, the average annual concentrations of the analyzed substances were not exceeded. The decreasing incidence of both asthma and hypertension is related to the improvement in atmospheric air quality.

Keywords

• chronic diseases
• hypertension
• suspended dust pm10 and pm2.5
• benzo(a)pyrene