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Respiratory hospital admissions were associated with ambient airborne pollen in Darwin, Australia, 2004-2005

Hanigan, IC and Johnston, FH (2007). Respiratory hospital admissions were associated with ambient airborne pollen in Darwin, Australia, 2004-2005. Clinical and Experimental Allergy,37(10):1556-1565.

Document type: Journal Article
Citation counts: Scopus Citation Count Cited 13 times in Scopus Article | Citations

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Title Respiratory hospital admissions were associated with ambient airborne pollen in Darwin, Australia, 2004-2005
Author Hanigan, IC
Johnston, FH
Journal Name Clinical and Experimental Allergy
Publication Date 2007
Volume Number 37
Issue Number 10
ISSN 0954-7894   (check CDU catalogue open catalogue search in new window)
Scopus ID 2-s2.0-34648840107
Start Page 1556
End Page 1565
Total Pages 10
Place of Publication United Kingdom
Publisher Wiley-Blackwell
HERDC Category C1 - Journal Article (DEST)
Abstract Background Although the role of pollen and fungus in specific allergic disorders has been well established, the public health impacts of ambient concentrations of airborne pollen and fungal spores; the shapes of concentration-response relationships; and the relative effects of different taxa are gaps in current knowledge. Objective To investigate associations between daily average ambient pollen and fungal spore concentrations with hospital admissions for total respiratory diseases; asthma; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); and respiratory infections in Darwin, Australia, during the period from April 2004 to November 2005. Methods We assessed these relationships in a two-stage modelling approach designed to quantify potential non-linear relationships. First, generalized additive models determined the shapes of concentration-response relationships. Second, linear associations were examined using generalized linear models. Non-linear relationships were analysed by categorizing pollen and fungal spore concentrations based on their distributions. Results Positive linear associations were found between total pollen concentrations and hospital admissions for total respiratory diseases and COPD. While our exploratory first-stage analysis suggested non-linear relationships for total pollen with asthma and respiratory infections, no convincing evidence for these relationships was found in the second-stage analysis. When individual taxa were investigated, associations were the strongest in relation to Myrtaceae pollen (the dominant tree taxa in the region), while positive associations not attaining statistical significance were observed for Poaceae, Cyperaceae and Arecaceae. No associations were evident for any conditions with fungal spores. Conclusion Our finding of an association between pollen count and respiratory hospital admissions that could not be explained by asthma admissions suggests that ambient airborne pollens might have a wider public health impact than previously recognized.
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2222.2007.02800.x   (check subscription with CDU E-Gateway service for CDU Staff and Students  check subscription with CDU E-Gateway in new window)
 
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