COVID-19 Transport Restrictions in Ireland: Impact on air quality and respiratory hospital admissions

Quintyne, K. I.; Kelly, Caitriona; Sheridan, Ashling; Kenny, Patrick; O’Dwyer, Michael

AIM Exposure to poor air quality is a well-established factor for exacerbation of respiratory system diseases (RSD); whether air pollutants are a cause of development of RSD, however, remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the relationship between COVID-19 transport restrictions and hospital admissions due to RSD in Dublin city and county for 2020. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective population-based cohort. METHODS Admission data was collected from the HSE Hospital In-patient Enquiry (HIPE). Daily count of hospital admissions with Dublin city and county address with primary diagnosis of RSD was performed. The daily air nitrogen dioxide (NO2) data were obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). RESULTS During the period of transport restrictions, there was a reduction in the annual mean NO2 from 25μg/m3 to 17μg/m3 (p < 0.001), and decreases in hospital admissions for RSD were observed. Among the 9,934 patient episodes included in this study, the mean age at admission was 61.5 years; 57.8% were female (n=5,744); mean [SD] length of stay was 7.5[13.52] days. CONCLUSION This study, using routinely gathered data, suggests that decreases in ambient NO2 as related to COVID-19 transport restrictions were significantly associated with lower asthma and COPD admissions.