Short-term effects of nitrogen dioxide on hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease in Wallonia, Belgium

Our study confirms the existence of an association between NO2 and cardiovascular disease. Apart from haemorrhagic stroke, the strongest association between NO2 concentrations and number of hospital admissions is observed at lag 0. For haemorrhagic stroke, the association is strongest with a delay of 2 days. All associations calculated without stratification are statistically significant and range from an excess relative risk of 2.8% for myocardial infarction to 4.9% for haemorrhagic strokes. The results of this study reinforce the evidence of the short-term effects of NO2 on hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease. The different delay between exposure and health-related event for haemorrhagic stroke compared to ischemic stroke suggests different mechanisms of action.