Do gender, education, and income modify the effect of air pollution gases on cardiac disease?

Objective: We sought to determine whether gender, education, and income influence the susceptibility to ambient air pollution. Methods: We determined the association between daily cardiac hospitalizations and daily concentrations of gaseous air pollutants in 10 large Canadian cities using time-series analyses adjusted for day-of-the week, temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity. Results: Percentage increases in hospitalization associated with an increase in air pollution equivalent to its mean value were statistically significant for ozone, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide individually (P < 0.05) and the combined pollutant effect was 8.5% (95% confidence interval. 1.8, 14.6). The air pollution-cardiac disease association was not significantly influenced by gender or community level of education or income. Conclusion: Short-term changes in air pollution may adversely affect cardiac disease but gender, and community education and income do not accurately identify those with increased susceptibility.