Do atmospheric pressure and air pollution affect the incidence of primary spontaneous pneumothorax?

• Published in: Current thoracic surgery 2024, Vol.9 (2), p.72
• Main Authors: Canavar, Aylin, Erk, Melek, Seyrek, Yunus, Akçıl, Ali Murat, Cansever, Nazlı, Bedirhan, Mehmet Ali, Cansever, Levent
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2548-0316; 2548-0316
• DOI: 10.26663/cts.2024.015

Background: Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) occurs as a result of rupture of bullae or blebs adjacent to the visceral pleura. In our study, we retrospectively reviewed the weather information of PSP patients admitted to our clinic and aimed to investigate the relationship between meteorological changes and the development of PSP. Materials and Methods: A total of 5051 patients were included in the study. Weather records between January 2020 and March 2023 were recorded day by day. The data obtained from Istanbul Regional Meteorological Measurement Center, Fatih Air Monitoring Center, and Atatürk Airport Air Monitoring Center within the provincial borders were recorded and accepted as the daily weather data of the city. Results: NO2 and PM10 were shown to have a significant effect on the risk of pneumothorax. Curve estimation regression analysis showed that the mean NO2 level for Istanbul was 50 ± 12.4 picograms/ m³, and a significant increase (p = 0.035) in the risk of pneumothorax occurred when the level reached 30 picograms/m³. PM10 concentrations above this value significantly increased the risk of pneumothorax, and this increase was statistically significant (p = 0.018). Conclusions: In our study, the frequency of pneumothorax increased significantly as the concentration of NO2 and P10 particles in the air increased. This indicates that the risk of pneumothorax increases with the increase in particulate matter in air pollution. This highlights the importance of environmental factors on health and the need to improve air quality, which may be important in developing public health policies and prevention strategies.