Stroke Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Stroke, including details on treatment, recovery, rehabilitation, signs, symptoms.

Effects of Asian dust storm events on daily stroke admissions in Taipei, Taiwan.

Yang CY, Chen YS, Chiu HF, Goggins WB

Institute of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, 100 Shih-Chuan 1st Road, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan.

In spring, windblown dust storms originating in the deserts of Mongolia and China make their way to Taipei city. These occurrences are known as Asian dust storm (ADS) events. The objective of this study was to assess the possible associations of ADS on the hospital stroke admissions of residents in Taipei, Taiwan, during the period from 1996 to 2001. We identified 54 dust storm episodes, which were classified as index days. Daily stroke admissions on the index days were compared with admissions on the comparison days. We selected two comparison days for each index day, 7 days before the index days and 7 days after the index days. The study results indicated a statistically significant association between ADS events and daily primary intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke admissions 3 days after the event (relative risk of 1.15; 95% CI, 1.01-10.10). We also found a positive but nonsignificant association between ADS events and ischemic stroke admissions 3 days following the dust storms. This was due mainly to PM(10). We conclude that more attention be given to ADS events and health in the future.

Published 1 August 2005 in Environ Res, 99(1): 79-84.
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