AIR POLLUTION AS A RISK FACTOR FOR PNEUMONIA

Abstract. Air pollution has been shown to exacerbate respiratory diseases such as pneumonia. The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between the longterm exposure to air pollution, as a risk factor, and the development of pneumonia in the population. The observed sample consisted of Niš citizens of different age groups who lived in area with high concentrations of air pollutants (investigated group) such as the Square of the October Revolution, as well as the citizens of Niška Banja (control group) which is the zone with the lowest concentration of air pollution. The investigation was carried out in the Public Health Institute in Niš, in the period between 2000 and 2012. A sample of 500 participants from Niš and Niška Banja was split into three age groups: up to 25, between 26 and 50, and above 51. Modified WHO, British MRC and American Thoracis Society questionnaires were run among the investigated and contol population sample group. A significance test was performed using a Mantel-Haenszel chi square (χ2) statistic. This test was used to check for a statistically significant difference between the prevalence of pneumonia between the investigated group and the control group across all age groups. The odds ratio (OR) and relative risk (RR) were determined. The statistical significance between measured concentrations in the air at observed measured spots was determined using the Student's t-test. The highest value of the chi square test was determined in the age group up to 25 (RR = 8,00, OR = 8,87, p0,05.The obtained results prove that the prevalence of pneumonia is significantly higher in the exposed population than in the non-exposed, especially among younger than 25 years old. Key words: air pollution, pneumoni