Poluição por pm2,5 e internações por agravos cardiorrespiratórios em crianças e idosos em Porto Velho, Rondônia: estudo de série temporal

Abstract

Porto Velho, the capital of Rondônia, is among the Amazonian cities with the highest concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), driven by intense wildfires during the dry season. This study estimated the short-term effects of PM2.5 on respiratory and cardiovascular hospitalizations in children and older adults in Porto Velho between 2016 and 2025, using a 3,531-day time series and a distributed lag non linear model with quasi-Poisson regression. PM2.5 was associated with a 5.6% increase in asthma hospitalizations in children per 10 µg/m³ increment (IRR = 1.056; 95%CI: 1.019–1.094), the only outcome with statistical significance in the main analysis. During the rainy season, exploratory increases in infarction and pneumonia hospitalizations were identified in older adults. Findings indicate selective vulnerability by age group and seasonality, reinforcing the need for differentiated environmental health surveillance throughout the year in the Western Amazon.