Correlation of Air Pollution and Prevalence of Acute Pulmonary Embolism in Northern Thailand

Background: The relationship between the level of air pollution and acute pulmonary embolism (APE) has had inconsistent results. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between the high level of air pollution exposure and APE. Methods: A ten-year retrospective cohort, single-center study was performed on patients diagnosed with APE from October 2010 to December 2020. The association between air pollution and monthly APE case diagnosis was analyzed. Results: A total number of 696 patients was included. The effect of every 10 µg/m(3) increment of particulate matters with an aerodynamic diameter < 10 µm (PM(10)) on total monthly APE cases (unprovoked PE and provoked PE) was increased significantly at lag 4, 5 and 6 months with adjusted RR (95% CI) of 1.06 (1.01, 1.12), p = 0.011, 1.07 (1.01, 1.13), p = 0.021 and 1.06 (1.01, 1.12), p = 0.030, respectively. Adjusted RR for APE was significantly increased for PM(10) in the second tertile ((adjusted RR (95% CI) 1.76 (1.12, 2.77)), p = 0.014. Conclusions: We conclude that PM(10) is associated with an increased prevalence of APE cases. The policy for tighter control of air pollution in our country is needed to reduce the impact of air pollutants on people’s health.