The effect of air quality on respiratory function test and hemogram parameters in patients applying for employment examination

Aim: This study aims to investigate the effect of the air quality index (AQI) on hemogram and pulmonary function test parameters in one of the cities in Turkey with the worst air quality, according to official records. Materials and methods: Our study is cross-sectional and descriptive and the population of the study consists of patients who applied to Erzincan Mengücek Gazi Training and Research Hospital Family Medicine Polyclinic for employment examination between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022. The study included individuals between the ages of 18-65 who have resided for at least one year within the borders of Erzincan province, do not have a known chronic disease, have routine hemogram and respiratory function tests required for a job entrance examination. The AQI values were obtained from the official website of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change. Results: The study comprised 326 individuals, with 17,5% female and 82,5% male, with an average age of 32,30 years. The mean AQI was 68,20. No significant correlation was detected between AQI and PFT parameters. On the other hand, we found a statistically significant decrease in lymphocyte, leukocyte and platelet counts with the increase in AQI (respectively p=0,001, p=0,022, p=0,011). Conclusions: In this study, we observed that acute air pollution did not significantly affect PFT parameters in healthy individuals but did affect hemogram parameters. Key Words: Air Pollution, Air Quality, Respiratory Function Tests, Hemogram