Short-term effects of ambient fine particulate air pollution on inpatient visits for myocardial infarction in Beijing, China.

The effects of ambient fine particulate matter (PM _2.5 ) on the incidence of myocardial infarction have been reported, but little is known about this association in China. We conducted a time-series study of ambient PM _2.5 concentrations and inpatient visits for myocardial infarction in Beijing. A generalized additive model with a Poisson link was applied to estimate the percentage change in inpatient visits for myocardial infarction following a 10-μg/m ³ increase in PM _2.5 concentrations. A total of 15,432 inpatient visits for myocardial infarction were identified between January 1, 2010, and June 30, 2012. A 10-μg/m ³ increase in PM _2.5 concentrations was associated with a 0.46% (P ≤ 0.001) increase in daily inpatient visits for myocardial infarction. Males were more sensitive to the adverse effects, and the association was more significant during the warm season (May through October). Short-term exposure to PM _2.5 was associated with increased risk of inpatient visits for myocardial infarction in Beijing. The findings may be useful in developing more accurate targeted interventions.