Abstract

The prevalence of bronchial obstruction in children is continuously increasing at any age. Many studies have found associations between increase of respiratory diseases and air pollution. The aim of this paper was to establish possible connection between children hospital admission trends for bronchial obstruction and levels of measured concentration of air pollution agents in Tuzla Canton area. The results of investigation demonstrated that the distribution of hospital admissions of children with bronchial obstruction was different regarding place of inhabitants and season. Spatial distribution demonstrated that the highest number of children treated for bronchial obstruction was from Tuzla, Lukavac and Živinice. The incidence of patients from these municipalities was significantly above the participation of these municipalities in total population. Seasonal distribution of hospital admissions of children with bronchial obstruction was different for single municipalities of Tuzla Canton and for different seasons. Air pollutants, sulfur oxide and dust deposition were significantly higher for heating season compared to season without heating. There is a link between frequency of hospital admission for bronchial obstruction and level of measured air pollutants.

Key words: bronchial obstruction, hospital admission trends, air pollution, childhood