Patterns of medical care utilization according to environmental factors in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients
Background/Aims Weather and air pollution are associated with the exacerbation of respiratory diseases. We investigated patterns of medical care use according to meteorological factors and air pollution in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods We analyzed the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Korean Association of Internal Medicine
2021-09-01
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| Series: | The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.kjim.org/upload/pdf/kjim-2020-168.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818363167406817280 |
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| author | Eun-Jung Jo Min-Hyeok Choi Chang-Hoon Kim Kyung-Mi Won Yoo-Keun Kim Ju-Hee Jeong Hye Yeon An Mi-Kyoung Hwang Hye-Kyung Park |
| author_facet | Eun-Jung Jo Min-Hyeok Choi Chang-Hoon Kim Kyung-Mi Won Yoo-Keun Kim Ju-Hee Jeong Hye Yeon An Mi-Kyoung Hwang Hye-Kyung Park |
| author_sort | Eun-Jung Jo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background/Aims Weather and air pollution are associated with the exacerbation of respiratory diseases. We investigated patterns of medical care use according to meteorological factors and air pollution in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods We analyzed the medical care utilization patterns of patients with asthma or COPD registered in the Korea Health Insurance Review and Assessment database for the period 2007 to 2013. The patterns were divided into hospitalization and emergency department (ED) use. Results The medical care use of patients with asthma or COPD increased when the mean temperature and relative humidity were lower, and the temperature difference and atmospheric pressure were greater. Medical care use increased with the concentrations of particulate matter and ozone. Among age groups, sensitivity to pollutants was greatest in patients aged ≥ 65 years. The effect of being elderly was greater for asthma than for COPD, with a higher hospitalization rate. ED utilization affected by environmental factors was significantly greater for females and hospitalization was significantly more common for males. Conclusions Meteorological factors and air pollutants were shown to contribute to increased medical care utilization by patients with asthma and COPD, particularly elderly patients. The overall effect was greater for COPD, but the effect in elderly patients was greater for asthma. In addition, the patterns of change in medical care use due to environmental factors differed according to sex. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T21:44:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-54e941d9e62141b383594e9fd1f19481 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1226-3303 2005-6648 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T21:44:10Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | The Korean Association of Internal Medicine |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-54e941d9e62141b383594e9fd1f194812022-12-21T23:30:28ZengThe Korean Association of Internal MedicineThe Korean Journal of Internal Medicine1226-33032005-66482021-09-013651146115610.3904/kjim.2020.168170543Patterns of medical care utilization according to environmental factors in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patientsEun-Jung Jo0Min-Hyeok Choi1Chang-Hoon Kim2Kyung-Mi Won3Yoo-Keun Kim4Ju-Hee Jeong5Hye Yeon An6Mi-Kyoung Hwang7Hye-Kyung Park8 Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea Department of Preventive and Occupational Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea Department of Preventive and Occupational Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea The Institute of Environmental Studies, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea Division of Earth Environmental System, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea The Institute of Environmental Studies, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea Division of Earth Environmental System, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea The Institute of Environmental Studies, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, KoreaBackground/Aims Weather and air pollution are associated with the exacerbation of respiratory diseases. We investigated patterns of medical care use according to meteorological factors and air pollution in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods We analyzed the medical care utilization patterns of patients with asthma or COPD registered in the Korea Health Insurance Review and Assessment database for the period 2007 to 2013. The patterns were divided into hospitalization and emergency department (ED) use. Results The medical care use of patients with asthma or COPD increased when the mean temperature and relative humidity were lower, and the temperature difference and atmospheric pressure were greater. Medical care use increased with the concentrations of particulate matter and ozone. Among age groups, sensitivity to pollutants was greatest in patients aged ≥ 65 years. The effect of being elderly was greater for asthma than for COPD, with a higher hospitalization rate. ED utilization affected by environmental factors was significantly greater for females and hospitalization was significantly more common for males. Conclusions Meteorological factors and air pollutants were shown to contribute to increased medical care utilization by patients with asthma and COPD, particularly elderly patients. The overall effect was greater for COPD, but the effect in elderly patients was greater for asthma. In addition, the patterns of change in medical care use due to environmental factors differed according to sex.http://www.kjim.org/upload/pdf/kjim-2020-168.pdfweatherair pollutionasthmapulmonary diseasechronic obstructivehealth care utilization |
| spellingShingle | Eun-Jung Jo Min-Hyeok Choi Chang-Hoon Kim Kyung-Mi Won Yoo-Keun Kim Ju-Hee Jeong Hye Yeon An Mi-Kyoung Hwang Hye-Kyung Park Patterns of medical care utilization according to environmental factors in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine weather air pollution asthma pulmonary disease chronic obstructive health care utilization |
| title | Patterns of medical care utilization according to environmental factors in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients |
| title_full | Patterns of medical care utilization according to environmental factors in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients |
| title_fullStr | Patterns of medical care utilization according to environmental factors in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients |
| title_full_unstemmed | Patterns of medical care utilization according to environmental factors in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients |
| title_short | Patterns of medical care utilization according to environmental factors in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients |
| title_sort | patterns of medical care utilization according to environmental factors in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients |
| topic | weather air pollution asthma pulmonary disease chronic obstructive health care utilization |
| url | http://www.kjim.org/upload/pdf/kjim-2020-168.pdf |
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