Abstract
AB113. The impact of particulate matter on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation: a retrospective study from Teaching Hospital of the University of Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia
Andika Pradana1, Joel Aik2, Mengieng Ung3, Amira Permatasari Tarigan1, Putri Chairani Eyanoer4, Nuryunita Nainggolan1, Aida Aida1, Dumora Fatma1, Renzo R. Guinto3
1Department of Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia;
2Pre-Hospital and Emergency Research Centre, Programme in Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore;
3SingHealth Duke-National University of Singapore Global Health Institute, Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore;
4Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia
Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects millions of individuals worldwide. COPD exacerbation—which is the acute deterioration of respiratory symptoms and may be brought about by exposure to particulate matter (PM)—often results in increased hospitalization admissions and reduced quality of life. In Indonesia, industry emissions and forest fires are important contributors to air pollution. The objective of this study is to better understand the relationship between air quality and COPD exacerbation in Medan, Indonesia.
Methods: We obtained medical records of all COPD patients hospitalized at the Teaching Hospital of the University of Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia from 2023 to 2024. Data on daily PM2.5 and PM10 were obtained from the Meteorological, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency. We compared the monthly-aggregated time-series trends of the hospitalizations for exacerbated COPD with PM2.5 and PM10.
Results: A total of 438 patient records were included in this study (81.7% male, mean age 57.3 years old). Data from April each year were excluded due to public holiday and tradition of returning to hometown, which leads to low hospitalization rates and might introduce bias. An increase in COPD exacerbation was observed during September–October in 2023, while the peak in 2024 occurred in October. Levels of PM2.5 and PM10 both peaked in October 2023 and May 2024, indicating possible short-term pollutant accumulation during the transitional dry to rainy season. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive association between COPD exacerbation and PM2.5 (Spearman ρ=0.53, P=0.01), but not with PM10 (Spearman ρ=−0.39, P=0.07).
Conclusions: PM2.5 exposure plays a significant role in the rise of COPD exacerbation. These findings highlight the importance of air pollution mitigation to prevent COPD exacerbation. To obtain a better understanding of the spatial-temporal variations in environmental influences on COPD, similar studies should be conducted in other regions with diverse air pollution profiles and land use patterns.
Keywords: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); air pollution; exacerbation; particulate matter (PM)
Conflicts of Interest: A.P. was supported by Universitas Sumatera Utara under TALENTA grant of International Collaboration with SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (project No. 1/UN5.4.10.K/PT01.03/USU-SDGHI/2024). The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
doi: 10.21037/jphe-26-ab113
Cite this abstract as: Pradana A, Aik J, Ung M, Tarigan AP, Eyanoer PC, Nainggolan N, Aida A, Fatma D, Guinto RR. AB113. The impact of particulate matter on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation: a retrospective study from Teaching Hospital of the University of Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia. J Public Health Emerg 2026;10:AB113.
