Extreme desert dust storms and COPD morbidity on the island of Crete.

Introduction And Objectives: Short-term extreme increases in desert-derived particulate-matter with aerodynamic diameter below 10 μm (PM) may affect emergency department (ED) visits due to COPD exacerbations.

Research Question: Our aim was to identify the effect of extreme increases in desert-derived PM on ED visits for dyspnea and COPD exacerbations and on the related hospital admissions.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of dyspnea-related ED visits and hospital admissions in Heraklion, Crete, during four consecutive storms of desert-derived PM that happened during March 2018.