A STATISTICAL APPROACH ON RESPIRATORY AND CONJUNCTIVITIS DISEASES ADMITTED TO ERS AT CUNEO AND BRA HOSPITALS (ITALY).CORRELATION WITH ENVIRONMENTAL, BIOCLIMATIC AND EMERGENCY ROOM DATA

V. Condemi1, M. Gestro2 , U. Solimene1 (umberto.solimene@unimi.it),

1Centre for Research in Medical Bioclimatology, Biotechnologies and Natural Medicines – Milan State University

2Terme di Lurisia – Cuneo (Italy)

For some time now the WHO has been devoting great care to the environmental and bioclimatic issue through specific Activity plans, both for coordination and for scientific case studies aimed at investigating the different links between polluting agents on one hand and man’s health on the other, involving multiple medical disciplines and, in particular, such branches as pneumology and cardiology. Moreover, a cooperative Research Project (PHEWE) was recently implemented, crossing ER data (P. Michelozzi et al.) correlated with heat waves in 12 European cities, with special focus on the impact of heat waves on the respiratory and cardiovascular diseases admitted to ERs. This scientific paper clearly states that the scientifically known consequences of heat waves on mortality sum up to the still limited available information on the consequences of high temperatures on morbidity.

The importance of collecting more information on the trend of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases through the analysis of ER data bases resulted into the identification of a very interesting geographic and bioclimatic model in the Cuneo Province (Italy). This area, located in north-western Italy, in the Piedmont Region, bordered to the west and south by the Maritime Alps and the Ligurian Appenine respectively and open to the north towards the Po Valley, is a very interesting mesoclimatic example.

The analysis of the ER databases was focused on the 2006-2009 period, with 70000 disease events/trauma events observed per year. With respect to the polluting agents, data on O3, Nx, CO, and PM10 was considered, collected by the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of the Piedmont Region in the Alba, Borgo San Dalmazzo, Bra, Cuneo, Fossano, and Mondovì Saliceto sites (2005-2009). The study and processing of the weather data concerning the same locations selected for the analysis of polluting agents was mainly based on thermo-hygrometric parameters, wind field, rain field, and snow field. The selected methodology considered the application of a number of bioclimatic Indexes as a scientifically significant approach, including the Apparent Temperature Index, the THI, the Thom Index, and the Wind Chill. The analysis of the ER data bases included all cardiovascular, as well as respiratory and otolaryngologic diseases, with special care for such respiratory diseases as BPCO (environment sensitive), subject to an expected constant increase and today a primary cause of death (50%) among non viral and non bacterial diseases, as well as bronchial asthma, attributable to environmental allergens (indoor-outdoor). The studies, still at a preliminary stage, are also aimed at introducing more and more elements for a comparative analysis against other studies concerning the events admitted to ERs, carried out on polluting agents and weather data collected in other areas of north-western Italy. A complex statistical model is being implemented.

This paper is thus intended to present the preliminary scientific results, identifying and defining complex environmental models and bioclimatic areas evaluated in modern terms, to be applied and used mainly in thermal contexts (medical hydroclimatology) and in the more general climatotherapic field.