Covid-19 transport restrictions led to fewer asthma hospital admissions
There was a statistically significant reduction in the average daily admissions for asthma in Dublin around the time of pandemic travel restrictions,
There were fewer asthma-related admissions to hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic, with new research linking it to transport restrictions leading to lower pollutant levels and improved air quality.
The study analysed the improvements in air quality in Dublin and if this had an impact on asthma-related hospital admissions. It compared data from January 2018 to February 2021, covering two years pre-pandemic and most of the first year of the pandemic.
It showed that during the period of transport restrictions, there was a significant decrease in mean daily concentrations in both PM2.5 (particulate matter) and NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), with the figures obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Particulate matter is all solid and liquid particles suspended in air, such as dust, pollen, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets. Nitrogen dioxide causes inflammation of the airways in high doses, which can cause irreversible damage to the respiratory system.
The report also found there was a "significant reduction" in the mean number of daily asthma admissions, although only the nitrogen dioxide fall in that period showed a statistically significant correlation with asthma admissions. The Hospital In-Patient Enquiry (Hipe) system, a national system which collects data on discharges from, and deaths in, acute public hospitals, provided the daily number of asthma-related hospital admissions in Dublin.
The research was conducted by a team from the Department of Health, HSE North-East in Co Meath and the EPA.
According to the study: "Over the whole study period, there were a total of 4,551 admissions to hospital with a primary diagnosis of asthma and an address in Dublin, equating to 12,673 in-patient bed days. Of these admissions, 2,792 (61.3%) were female; the mean age was 40.9 years."
Alongside this — and allowing for the fact there was an overall reduction in hospital attendance in the early part of the pandemic — it found "there was a statistically significant reduction in the average daily admissions for asthma in Dublin.
"There was also a statistically significant reduction in the average in-patient bed days. There was no significant difference in the average age or the proportions of males and females being admitted during the pandemic when compared with the pre-pandemic period.
"In Dublin, there was a statistically significant decrease in the average number of asthma admissions," it said. "This is in keeping with international findings."
It concluded: "The findings of this study suggest that significant air quality improvements can be made through more stringent transport policies aimed at significantly reducing the number of cars on the road.
"This improvement in air quality would have a substantial impact on public health; contributing to fewer asthma exacerbations and hospitalisations, as well as reducing healthy life years lost and premature deaths."
