Association between Fine Particulate Air Pollution and Daily Clinic Visits for Migraine in a Subtropical City: Taipei, Taiwan

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Chih-Cheng Chen²  Shang-Shyue Tsai¹  Chun-Yuh Yang³ 

[1] Department of Healthcare Administration, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 824, Taiwan; E-Mail:;Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang-Gung University, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan; E-Mail:;Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan

关键词: fine particulate;    air pollution;    migraine;    case-crossover;    clinic visits;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph120504697

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

This study was undertaken to determine whether there was an association between fine particle (PM_2.5) levels and daily clinic visits for migraine in Taipei, Taiwan. Daily clinic visits for migraine and ambient air pollution data for Taipei were obtained for the period from 2006–2011. The odds ratio of clinic visits was estimated using a case-crossover approach, controlling for weather variables, day of the week, seasonality, and long-term time trends. Generally, no significant associations between PM_2.5 levels and migraine visits were observed on cool days. On warm days, however, for the single pollutant model (without adjustment for other pollutants), increased clinic visits for migraine were significantly associated with PM_2.5 levels, with an interquartile range (IQR) rise associated with a 13% (95% CI = 8%–19%) elevation in number of migraine visits. In bi-pollutant model, PM_2.5 remained significant after the inclusion of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) or ozone (O₃) on warm days. This study provides evidence that higher levels of PM_2.5 increase the risk of clinic visits for migraine in Taipei, Taiwan.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.