Table 1. Associations between outdoor pollution exposure and morbidity in elderly.
| Author (study period, country) (references) | Age (years) | Outcome | Pollutant | Increment/threshold | Association | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schwartz 1995 (1988-1990, U.S.) New Haven (16) | ≥65 | Respiratory-H | PM10 | 50 µg/m3 | RR 1.06 | 1.00-1.13 |
| SO2 | 50 µg/m3 | RR 1.03 | 1.02-1.05 | |||
| O3 | 50 µg/m3 | RR 1.06 | 0.99-1.13 | |||
| Schwartz 1995 (1988-1990, U.S.) Tacoma (16) | ≥65 | Respiratory-H | PM10 | 50 µg/m3 | RR 1.10 | 1.03-1.17 |
| SO2 | 50 µg/m3 | RR 1.06 | 1.01-1.12 | |||
| O3 | 50 µg/m3 | RR 1.21 | 1.06-1.38 | |||
| Medina-Ramón 2006 (1986-1999, U.S.) (17) | ≥65 | COPD-H | PM10 | 10 µg/m3 | 1.47% change | 0.93-2.01 |
| Pneumonia-H | 10 µg/m3 | 0.84% change | 0.50-1.19 | |||
| Zanobetti 2006 (1995-1999, U.S.) (18) | ≥65 | Pneumonia-H | NO2 | 16.8 ppb | 12.7% change | 5.80-18.40 |
| PM2.5 | 16.32 µg/m3 | 8.65% change | 1.20-15.38 | |||
| BC | 1.7 µg/m3 | 8.34% change | 0.20-15.80 | |||
| Yang 2005 (1994-1998, Canada) (19) | ≥65 | COPD-H | NO2 | 7-day average | RR 1.11 | 1.04-1.20 |
| CO | 7-day average | RR 1.08 | 1.02-1.13 | |||
| PM10 | 7-day average | RR 1.13 | 1.05-1.21 | |||
| Chen 2004 (1995-1999, Canada) (20) | ≥65 | COPD-H | PM2.5 | 3-day average | RR 1.09 | 1.03-1.16 |
| Villeneuve 2007 (1999-2002, Canada) (21) | ≥75 | ED-visit for asthma | NO2 | IQR—5-days average | OR 1.20 | 1.04-1.38 |
| PM2.5 | IQR—same day average | OR 1.12 | 1.01-1.23 | |||
| Larrieu 2009 (2000-2009, France) (22) | ≥65 | Home visits for URD | PM10 | 10 µg/m3 | ERR 8.3% | 2.00-14.70 |
| NO2 | 10 µg/m3 | ERR 12.3% | 4.90-19.70 | |||
| Schikowski 2005 (1985-1994, Germany) Women (23) | 55 | Cough | Major road | <100 m | OR 1.24 | 1.03-1.49 |
| COPD | Major road | <100 m | OR 1.79 | 1.06-3.02 | ||
| COPD | PM10 | 7 µg/m3 in 5-year mean | OR 1.33 | 1.03-1.72 | ||
| COPD | NO2 | 7 µg/m3 in 5-year mean | OR 1.43 | 1.23-1.66 | ||
| CB | NO2 | 7 µg/m3 in 5-year mean | OR 1.37 | 1.16-1.62 | ||
| Bentayeb 2010 (1999-2001, France) (24) | ≥65 | Cough | PM10 | Third quartile | OR 1.33 | 1.00-1.77 |
| Cough | SO2 | Third quartile | OR 1.55 | 1.16-2.08 | ||
| Phlegm | SO2 | Third quartile | OR 1.45 | 1.04-2.01 |
CI, confidence interval; H, hospitalization; PM, particulate matter; SO2, sulphur dioxide; O3, ozone; RR, relative risk; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; NO2, nitrogen dioxide; BC, black carbon; CO, carbon monoxide; ED, emergency department; IQR, inter-quartile range; OR, odds ratio; URD, upper respiratory diseases; ERR, excess relative risk; CB, chronic bronchitis.