|
Air Today . . . Gone Tomorrow Article Asthma, Ground Zero
linked: A study of 205 children who have the illness and lived near
the World Trade Center says their condition was worsened by the 9/11 attack
By Roni Rabin, Newsday Staff Writer,
March 9, 2004
Children with asthma who lived within five
miles of the World Trade Center had more severe illness after the Sept. 11 terrorist
attack, seeing the doctor more often and taking more medication the year after the attack
than the year before, researchers found. There were no significant differences in care for
asthmatic children farther away.
The retrospective study of 205 Chinese-American children who received medical care at the
Charles B. Wang Community Health Center in Chinatown, about 1.5 miles from the World Trade
Center, was published today in the peer-reviewed Journal of Allergy and Clinical
Immunology.
The review of patient charts was carried out by physicians at Stony Brook University
School of Medicine, a University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health epidemiologist and
Wang Center doctors.
"Air pollution has been linked to asthma exacerbation, so we expected these data to
show the children were worse," said author Dr. Anthony Szema of Stony Brook.
"But until we did the study, we weren't able to show they were worse."
Szema said he will seek funding to continue studying the long-term health implications.
The number of pediatric asthma-related visits to the Wang clinic increased from 1,044
visits by 306 patients the year before the attacks to 1,554 visits by 501 patients the
year after, the study said.
Among the 205 asthmatic children whose records were reviewed, researchers found an
increase in the number of doctor visits, from 3.79 per child the year before Sept. 11,
2001, to 4.69 the year afterward. The number of prescriptions increased from two per child
to 2.3.
For children living within five miles of the World Trade Center, clinic visits increased
from 3.95 before the attack to 5.1 after. Some patients lived just blocks from Ground
Zero, Szema said.
In addition, during the first three months after 9/11, the asthmatic children living
within five miles of Ground Zero experienced a decline in what is called the peak
expiratory flow rate, the ability to blow out air after taking a deep breath.
The rate is a measure of airway obstruction that is a gauge of asthma severity. A decrease
in the number indicates the airways are narrowed, Szema said.
While the peak flow rates for the children studied had been within normal limits prior to
9/11, the mean rate dropped during the first three months after the attacks.
"These findings support our hypothesis that asthma severity worsened in the months
after Sept., 11 2001," the authors wrote.
After the attacks, dust and fumes in lower Manhattan included fine particulate matter as
well as calcium sulfate and calcium carbonate, which irritate the upper airways.
Many emergency workers developed chronic respiratory disease.
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.
FAIR USE NOTICE
This article contains copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been
specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available in my efforts to advance understanding of democracy, economic,
environmental, human rights, political, scientific, and social justice issues,
among others. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted
material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance
with Title 17 U.S.C. Section
107, the material in this article is distributed without profit for research
and educational purposes. Take me back to learn more |
|
|