Gender and season disparities in the influence of short-term fine particulate matter exposure on emergency room visits for mood disorders in Taiwan.

Hwang, Su-Lun; Lin, Yu-Ching; Lin, Chieh-Mo; Chi, Miao-Ching · J Occup Environ Med · 2026

case_control · Level III

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Abstract

This study examined the short-term effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure on emergency room (ER) visits for mood disorders, specifically bipolar disorder (BD) and depressive disorder (DD), in Taiwan. A time-stratified case-crossover design combined with distributed lag non-linear models was used to analyze data from the Taiwan Ministry of Environment and the Chang Gung Research Database (2010-2020). Among 2,172 identified ER visits, PM2.5 exposure was significantly associated with increased risks of BD/DD-related ER visits exclusively during the hot season, with significant associations observed among females. Both delayed and cumulative effects were observed at lag days 3-5 and cumulative lag periods of 0-1 and 0-3 to 0-5. Short-term PM2.5 exposure was associated with increased risks of BD/DD-related ER visits, with effects observed exclusively during the hot season and predominantly among females.