Title : Is tropospheric ozone a risk factor for stroke patients in crimean region?
Abstract:
Background: Climate change is accompanied by an increasing role of environmental factors as risk factors for the occurrence of emergency states including ones of the nervous system. This problem becomes particularly significant in the southern regions, where there are conditions for formation of increased concentrations of ground-level ozone which is recognized by WHO as the second most dangerous atmospheric pollutant. In this regard the Crimean peninsular is interesting, because here numerous sanatorium and resort institutions are located.
Methods: The aim of the study was an analysis of the dependence of the frequency of emergency states due to stroke and vegetative-vascular dystonia on the concentration of ground-level ozone (GLOC) in two cities of the Crimea. The material of the study was the number of emergency calls (EС) in Yalta and Simferopol for four years. The GLOC measurements for the same period carried out at the Karadag Background Environmental Monitoring Station (BSEM) by the optical method using an automatic gas analyzer APOA 370 (HORIBA). The relationship between the number of EC and GLOC characteristics analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis.
Results: During all the years of observation were marked the excedances of the permissible average daily values of GLOC, in particular, in summer period. Correlation analysis revealed several statistically significant (0,37≤rs≤0,46; 0,001≤p≤0.05) correlations and trend-level (0,05<p<0.10) correlations between the frequency of EC and the characteristics of the GLOC, mainly with the daily amplitude fluctuations and sometimes with maximal daily values. They took place not only in the warm season, when the temperature of the atmospheric air and GLOC is higher, but also in the cold season. Probably it may be explained by different mechanisms of increasing troposheric ozone concentrations in warm and cold seasons.
Conclusion: The presence of established correlations indicates that ground-level ozone may be a risk factor for stroke patients but its final effect may significantly depend on the accompanying natural and anthropogenic factors. The further research is needed in this region to determinate of safe levels of GLOC in combination with the priority meteorological and anthropogenic factors. This will make it possible to decrease the risk from the negative impact of troposhperic ozone on the state of stroke patients.
Audience Take Away Notes:
- Doctors will be able to warn their patients about the increased ozon’s risk at definite environmental situation
- This will help to reduce the number of emergency conditions in stroke patients
- Sure, they do.
- Yes, it is.
- It indicates that this problem is not simple but it needs to be studied
- List all other benefits:
- This problem has expressed regional character. In Russia similar investigations absent but there are few of them in the field of neurology and in foreign researches.
