Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2025:30:29.
doi: 10.1265/ehpm.24-00311.

Air pollution and adult hospital admissions for ischemic stroke: a time-series analysis in Inner Mongolia, China

Sen Feng  1 , Chunhua Li  2 , Yujing Jin  1 , Haibo Wang  1 , Ruying Wang  1 , Zakaria Ahmed Mohamed  1   3 , Yulong Zhang  1   4 , Yan Yao  1
Affiliations
Observational Study

Air pollution and adult hospital admissions for ischemic stroke: a time-series analysis in Inner Mongolia, China

Sen Feng et al. Environ Health Prev Med. 2025.

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that short-term exposure to ambient particulate matter elevates the risk of ischemic stroke in major urban areas of various countries. However, there is a notable gap in research focusing on remote areas inhabited by ethnic minorities and the cumulative effects of air pollutants. Our study conducted in the area aims to explore the potential association between ischemic stroke and air pollutants and contribute to improving health outcomes among the community.

Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted at the Xing'an League People's Hospital in Inner Mongolia. The medical records of 4,288 patients admitted for IS between November 1, 2019, and October 31, 2020, were reviewed. Data on demographics (age and sex), air pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, NO, CO, and O3), and meteorological factors (daily average temperature, daily average wind speed, and daily average atmosphere pressure) were collected and analyzed. The statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, Poisson distribution analysis to evaluate the adverse effects of atmospheric pollutants on daily hospitalizations, and subgroup analysis to determine whether gender and age could modify the impact on hospitalizations.

Results: A substantial correlation was revealed in single-day lags model. The peak delayed effects of PM10, PM2.5, SO2, and NO2 were observed at lag8 (PM10 (OR = 1.016, 95%CI 1.002, 1.030), PM2.5 (OR = 1.027, 95%CI 1.007, 1.048), SO2 (OR = 1.153, 95%CI 1.040, 279) and NO2 (OR = 1.054, 95%CI 1.005, 1.105)) while males exhibited a consistent trend from lag0 to lag8 (PM10 (OR = 1.035, 95%CI 1.018, 1.053), PM2.5 (OR = 1.056, 95%CI 1.030, 1.082), SO2 (OR = 1.220, 95%CI 1.072, 1.389), NO2 (OR = 1.126, 95%CI 1.061, 1.120), CO (OR = 10.059, 95%CI 1.697, 59.638) and O3 (OR = 0.972, 95%CI 0.946, 0.999)). When gender and age were considered, a positive impact was also observed after three days cumulative effect in males.

Conclusions: There is a significant cumulative effect of exposure to air pollution on IS hospital admissions, especially the males and patients under the age of 65. Our results also suggested that a notable association between CO and NO2 in two-pollutant models.

Keywords: Air pollutant; Cumulative effect; Ischemic stroke.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The temporal pattern of daily admissions of ischemic stroke
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plot in lags model of all IS admissions by total, sex and age
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Forest plot in multiday lags of all IS admissions by total, sex and age
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Campbell BCV, De Silva DA, Macleod MR, Coutts SB, Schwamm LH, Davis SM, et al.. Ischaemic stroke. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2019;5(1):70. - PubMed
    1. Collaborators G B D L R o S, Feigin VL, Nguyen G, Cercy K, Johnson CO, Alam T, et al.. Global, Regional, and Country-Specific Lifetime Risks of Stroke, 1990 and 2016. N Engl J Med. 2018;379(25):2429–37. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brunekreef B, Holgate ST. Air pollution and health. Lancet. 2002;360(9341):1233–42. - PubMed
    1. Ajoolabady A, Wang S, Kroemer G, Penninger JM, Uversky VN, Pratico D, et al.. Targeting autophagy in ischemic stroke: From molecular mechanisms to clinical therapeutics. Pharmacol Ther. 2021;225:107848. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cohen AJ, Brauer M, Burnett R, Anderson HR, Frostad J, Estep K, et al.. Estimates and 25-year trends of the global burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2015. Lancet. 2017;389(10082):1907–18. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types