Abstract Introduction/Rationale An estimated 262 million people live with asthma worldwide. Air pollutants such as PM2.5 and NO2 have been linked with poor asthma control. Weather events such as extreme weather, cold spells, and heat waves have also been linked to asthma related outcomes. We aimed to analyze how seasonal variations influence the relationship between asthma-related ED visits, PM2.5, NO2, and ambient temperature in New York City (NYC). Methods This is a retrospective analysis of publicly available NYC EpiQuery data for daily asthma-related ED visits. Data on daily PM2.5 and NO2 was obtained from Environmental Protection Agency and daily temperature was obtained from Wunderground. All data was collected between January 1st, 2023, and December 31st, 2024, and was divided into four seasons. Asthma-related ED visit data was collected for the boroughs of Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. A total of 124,719 asthma-related ED visits occurred during the study period. The population included individuals from infancy through 65 and older. Complete data with all variables was available for 721 days out of total 731 days (98.6%) during the two-year study period. Correlation coefficient analysis was performed to analyze the associated of asthma-related ED visits with PM2.5, NO2, and ambient temperature. Results During the total study period, mean asthma-related ED visits were 160 per day, mean PM2.5 was 8.88 µg/m³, mean daily NO2 was 28.52 ppb, and mean average daily temperature was 43.2 degrees Fahrenheit (Figure 1). Correlation coefficient analysis showed a positive correlation of PM2.5 and asthma-related ED visits during summer (r = 0.537), but no association during winter, spring, or fall. Daily average temperature was associated with asthma-related ED visits throughout the year with a negative correlation during summer (r = -0.335) and fall (r = -0.16), but a positive correlation during winter (r = 0.2) and spring (r = 0.18). NO2 and asthma-related ED visits had a positive correlation during winters (r = 0.25), but not during other seasons. Conclusion PM2.5 is the strongest environmental predictor of asthma-related ED visits during summer. NO2 levels predict asthma-related ED visits only during winters. Temperature is the only predictor of asthma-related ED visits throughout the year. These findings highlight the need for targeted public health strategies to mitigate asthma-related ED visits, while accounting for both air quality and seasonal variations. This abstract is funded by: None
Adrish et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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