Observational studyEnvironmental research2020
Ambient air pollution and sickle cell disease-related emergency department visits in Atlanta, GA.
Observational study in Environmental research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed.
- Exercise in Sickle Cell Disease: The Impact on Pathophysiology and Clinical Symptoms.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Weather-Related Exposures and Emergency Department Visits for Pediatric Sickle Cell Complications.Pediatric emergency care · 2026Article
- Airborne injustice: a preliminary exploration of the associations between pollutants and hospitalizations, sleep, and cognition in children and young adults living with sickle cell disease.Journal of pediatric psychology · 2025Article
- Annual PM2.5 exposure and clinical, laboratory, and stroke-risk outcomes in pediatric sickle cell disease.JCI insight · 2025Article
- PM2.5 exposure and household income are associated with lung function abnormalities in children with sickle cell disease.Pediatric pulmonology · 2024Article
- Effects of Air Pollution on Respiratory Events and Pain Crises among Children with Sickle Cell Disease in New York City.Annals of the American Thoracic Society · 2024Article
- Outdoor Air Pollution and Pediatric Respiratory Disease.Clinics in chest medicine · 2024Review
- Are children with sickle cell disease at particular risk from the harmful effects of air pollution? Evidence from a large, urban/peri-urban cohort.Pediatric blood & cancer · 2023Article
- Monitoring vs. modeled exposure data in time-series studies of ambient air pollution and acute health outcomes.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2023Article
- Ozone and childhood respiratory health: A primer for US pediatric providers and a call for a more protective standard.Pediatric pulmonology · 2023Review
- Sickle cell disease and social determinants of health: A scoping review.Pediatric blood & cancer · 2023Article
- Environmental Factors in Northern Italy and Sickle Cell Disease Acute Complications: A Multicentric Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Article
- Short-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution and emergency department visits for kidney diseases in the Atlanta metropolitan area.Environmental epidemiology (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2021Article
- Estimating climate change-related impacts on outdoor air pollution infiltration.Environmental research · 2021Article
- The Impact of Environmental Factors on Monogenic Mendelian Diseases.Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited, autosomal recessive blood disorder, among the most prevalent genetic diseases, globally. While the genetic and hemolytic dynamics of SCD have been well-characterized, the etiology of SCD-related pathophysiological processes is unclear. Although limited, observational evidence suggests that environmental factors, including urban air pollution, may play a role.
objectivesWe assessed whether daily ambient air pollution concentrations are associated with corresponding emergency department (ED) visit counts for acute SCD exacerbations in Atlanta, Georgia, during a 9-year (2005-2013) period. We also examined heterogeneity in response by age and sex.
methodsED visit data were from 41 hospitals in the 20-county Atlanta, GA area. Associations between daily air pollution levels for 8 urban air pollutants and counts of SCD related ED visits were estimated using Poisson generalized linear models.
resultsWe observed positive associations between pollutants generally indicative of traffic emissions and corresponding SCD ED visits [e.g., rate ratio of 1.022 (95% CI: 1.002, 1.043) per interquartile range increase in carbon monoxide]. Age stratified analyses indicated stronger associations with traffic pollutants among children (0-18 years), as compared to older age strata. Associations involving other pollutants, including ozone and particulate matter and for models of individuals >18 years old, were consistent a null hypothesis of no association. DISCUSSION: This analysis represents the first North American study to examine acute risk among individuals with SCD to urban air pollution and provide evidence of urban air pollution, especially from traffic sources, as a trigger for acute exacerbations. These findings are consistent with a hypothesis that biological pathways, including several centrally associated with oxidative stress, may contribute towards enhanced susceptibility in individuals with SCD.
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