Respiratory Health

We study how environmental exposures, including air pollution, desert dust, and meteorological conditions, affect respiratory health and respiratory-related hospitalizations across vulnerable populations.

Non-anthropogenic dust exposure and asthma medication purchase in children

In a project led by Maayan Yitshak-Sade (Yitshak-Sade et al, 2015) our team analyzed the association between dust storms frequent in the Negev area and asthma manifestations in children. We identified the asthma attacks by hospitalizations (indicating severe cases) and asthma medication purchases (as a proxy for mild morbidity). During the period of 2005-2011 there were 289 dust storms in the area

Air Pollution and Hospitalization for Bronchiolitis among Young Children

In another project by Maayan Yitshak-Sade (Yitshak-Sade et al, 2017) we investigated the association between ambient pollutants and hospitalizations due to bronchiolitis, a common lower respiratory infection in children. All hospitalizations in Soroka hospital between 2003-2013 among infants younger than 2 years were included in the analysis. High levels of particulate matter were adversely associated with bronchiolitis. The stronger links were found among Bedouin-Arabs, which may be related to poor household conditions and living in temporary tents or shacks, resulting in higher pollution exposure. We observed an increased asthma medication purchases within 3 days following mild dust storms. The link with hospitalizations was also detected, and was especially pronounced among the rural Bedouin-Arab population.

Non-anthropogenic particulate air pollution and pneumonia hospitalizations

Alina Vodonos and her team (Vodonos et al, 2016) investigated dust exposure and 5611 hospitalizations due to pneumonia in adults that occurred in our hospital between 2003-2013. Thirty-six (36)% of the study days the levels of particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter < 10 μm (PM₁₀) exceeded the WHO-recommended daily guideline of 50 μg·m−3. The association between PM₁₀ was observed within 5 days after the exposure, particularly for older patients or patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease.