ASTHMA IN CHILDREN, ACUTE EFFECTS OF AIR- POLLUTION, AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC-STUDY IN LE HAVRE AREA

Asthma is a public health problem and the leading chronic illness in p ediatrics. The prevalence of asthma in Le Havre area is 7.8 per cent i n children. Among the environmental determinants of acute asthma, the role of outdoor: pollution has often been suggested. The aim of this e pidemiologic contribution was to study the relationship between acute asthma in children, outdoor air pollution and weather parameters. All children with acute asthma admitted to the Pediatric Hospital, from Oc tober 1989 to September 1991, were enrolled in the study. The weather parameters selected were: atmospheric pressure, humidity of air and fo g. For pollutants, we studied the daily variation of high acidity - re flecting sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone. Over this 24 month period, 416 children were enrolled. The analysis did not show any significant relationship between weather parameters, outdoor air pollution and acute asthma requiring pediatric admission. However , logistic regression showed a trend (r = 0.08) between SO2 level and the number of admissions, with a delay of 3 to 5 days. Pollution and a sthma are possibly related, but this study does not provide any conclu sive results.