Short‐Term Impacts of PM 2.5 Components on Schizophrenia Hospitalization: A Time‐Series Analysis From Nanning, China

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a serious psychiatric condition. While PM 2.5 exposure has been linked to SCZ, the specific effects of its components remain poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the relationships between PM 2.5 constituents (including BC: black carbon, OM: organic matter, SO 4 2− : sulfate, NH 4 + : ammonium, and NO 3 − : nitrate) and SCZ. It incorporated the hospitalization records of 16,082 SCZ patients from Nanning Fifth People's Hospital, spanning from 1 January 2014, to 31 December 2023. The daily concentration data of PM 2.5 and its five chemical components were sourced from Tracking Air Pollution in China (TAP). A distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was employed to measure the dynamic correlation between PM 2.5 components and the risk of hospitalization for SCZ. Further analysis was conducted by stratifying based on gender, age, and cold/warm seasons to identify susceptible populations. Our study revealed that OM and BC demonstrated lagged effects on SCZ hospitalization, with significant associations observed at lag 3 day(lag3)and lag4. The strongest effect was identified at lag4, with OM showing an relative risks (RR) of 1.010 (95%CI: 1.001, 1.019) and BC exhibiting a higher RR of 1.010 (1.001, 1.019). And the lag effect of the OM relative percentage was identified at lag 3 (RR = 1.013, 95% CI: 1.005–1.022). PM 2.5 , SO 4 2− , and NH 4 + showed lagged response trends but no statistically significant effects ( p > 0.05). Subgroup analysis indicated that males, 45 years and younger, and those exposed during the warm season had higher risks associated with SO 4 2− , OM, BC, and PM 2.5 . Short‐term exposure to OM is significantly related to SCZ hospitalization.