A SYNOPTIC EVALUATION OF ASTHMA HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS IN NEW-YORK-CITY

An evaluation of weather/asthma relationships in the New York City Sta ndard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA) is developed using a synopt ic climatological methodology. This procedure isolates ''air masses,'' or bodies of air that are homogeneous in meteorological character, an d relates them to daily counts of overnight asthma hospital admissions . The synoptic procedure used here, known as the temporal synoptic ind ex (TSI), can identify air masses in automated fashion for every day o ver many years. It is apparent that certain air masses are related to statistically significant increases in asthma hospital admissions. The impact varies seasonally, with weather having a particularly importan t impact on asthma admissions during fall and winter. It appears that air pollution has little impact on asthma during these two seasons, an d the air masses associated with the highest admissions are not distin guished by high concentrations of pollutants. However, during spring a nd summer, the air masses associated with highest admissions are among those with high pollution concentrations. There is a strong interseas onal differential response to weather and air pollution by asthmatics in New York City. If these results can be replicated at other location s in future studies, it may be possible to develop an asthma/weather w atch-warning system, based on the expected arrival of high-admissions air masses.