Air Pollution Increases SARS Death Risk

A study has shown that air pollution is associated with an increased risk of dying from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Since November 2002, 5,327 cases of SARS have been diagnosed in mainland China, and so far 349 patients have died. The death rate, however, varies between different regions of the country, with higher rates in the north of China. Researchers investigated whether these differences could be explained by differences in air pollution levels. Using publicly available data, they assessed the death rates of patients with SARS in five different regions. To assess the air pollution levels in these regions, they used data from the Chinese National Environmental Protection Agency.

The researchers found that the mortality of patients with SARS increased as air pollution levels increased. In regions with low air pollution, the death rate was 4.06%, while in areas with moderate or high pollution, death rates were 7.49% and 8.9%, respectively. The researchers did not examine the socioeconomic status, the smoking habits, or the treatment that patients were given, all of which may have contributed to the patients' outcome.

"Our findings suggest that caregivers need to pay close attention to exposure to pollutants in the living and working environments of SARS patients. These factors and others related to exposure to airborne toxins could leave some individuals at greater risk of death from the illness than others,” said Dr. Zuo-Feng Zhang, professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Public Health (USA; www.ph.ucla.edu) and a leading scientist of the study.




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