Study result of relationship of respiratory diseases among 0-16 year old children and climate change in Mongolia / Монголын Анагаах Ухаан

ABSTRACT

IntroductionClimate change has already been started in Mongolia. The frequency of natural disaster such as drought, zud disaster, snow storm, hot and cold extreme weather, and earthquake has increased every year. As per daily information of meteorological stations, annual air temperature has been increased since 1960. Children is more sensitive in varies environmental impacts compared with adults and adverse effects caused by climate changes can be remained in all lives and it can be irreversible. Relation between climate change and children’s health is one of the issues which have not been studied yet. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationship between respiratory diseases of children and climate change as well as some air pollution parameters.Materials and MethodsStudy was carried out by cross-sectional study design. According to the regional climate classification of Mongolia, Zavkhan, Selenge, Dornod and Umnugovi provinces was selected as a target area of the study. The relationship between respiratory disease of children and climate change as well as some air pollution parameters were analyzed based on statistical data of Health Departments and Family doctors’ documentation of those provinces for prevalence and incidence of respiratory disease among the children aged 0-16 and daily information of climate parameters such as air temperature, air pressure, relative humidity and precipitation status taken from selected provinces Meteorological Departments and data for air quality basic parameters (SO2, NO2, CO2, PM 10) taken from Air Quality Department of Ulaanbaatar city.ResultsRespiratory diseases among the target ages were registered highly (70.7%) in age of 0-5 years. According to the comparison results in incidence rate of respiratory diseases by region, upper respiratory tract diseases (J09-J18) and lower respiratory tract diseases (J20-J22) were registered in Umnugovi aimag (254.75 and 50.42cases per 10000 children)which belong to very dry and warm regions and Dornod aimag (121.62 and 26.11 cases per 10000 children) which belong to dryish cold regions in 2010. Respiratory tract diseases (J09-J18, J20-J22) were correlated weak indirectly with average air temperature and minimum average air temperature. It was correlated weak directly with wind speed and air pressure. Respiratory tract diseases (J09- J18, J20-J22) were correlated directly with SO2 concentration in air (r=0.269, p>0.001) and NO2 (r=0.286, p>0.001).ConclusionClimate change and air pollution could be influenced on the increase of morbidity of respiratory tract infections. Some air pollution parameters such as SO2, NO2 and PM2.5 and air temperature, air pressure, relative humidity and wind speed are the causes of respiratory tract infections among the children aged 0-16.