Long-term exposure to air pollution and lower respiratory infections in a large population-based adult cohort in Catalonia.

Background: Evidence is limited regarding the role of air pollution in acute lower respiratory infections among adults. We assessed the influence of long-term air pollution exposure on hospital admission for lower respiratory infections and whether there are vulnerable subgroups.

Methods: We used a populational cohort in Catalonia, Spain, comprising 3,817,820 adults residing in Catalonia as of January 1, 2015.

Short-term exposure to air pollution and hospital admission after COVID-19 in Catalonia: the COVAIR-CAT study.

Background: A growing body of evidence has reported positive associations between long-term exposure to air pollution and poor COVID-19 outcomes. Inconsistent findings have been reported for short-term air pollution, mostly from ecological study designs. Using individual-level data, we studied the association between short-term variation in air pollutants [nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter with a diameter of <2.

Who is more vulnerable to effects of long-term exposure to air pollution on COVID-19 hospitalisation?

Objective: Factors that shape individuals' vulnerability to the effects of air pollution on COVID-19 severity remain poorly understood. We evaluated whether the association between long-term exposure to ambient NO, PM, and PM and COVID-19 hospitalisation differs by age, sex, individual income, area-level socioeconomic status, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Methods: We analysed a population-based cohort of 4,639,184 adults in Catalonia, Spain, during 2020.

Effect of different heat wave timing on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in France.

Background: Previous epidemiological evidence suggests that the impact of heat waves on mortality may change over time within the summer season. The consideration of heat wave timing could help to optimize the implementation of heat alert systems. We explored the effect of the timing of extreme heat events on mortality risk during the summer season in France.