Air pollution and risk of hospitalization for epilepsy: the role of farm use of nitrogen fertilizers and emissions of the agricultural air pollutant, nitrous oxide

ABSTRACT The link between various air pollutants and hospitalization for epilepsy has come under scrutiny. We have proposed that exposure to air pollution and specifically the pervasive agricultural air pollutant and greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (N2O), may provoke susceptibility to neurodevelopment...

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Main Authors: Keith Fluegge, Kyle Fluegge
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Thieme Revinter Publicações
Series:Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria
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Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2017000900614&lng=en&tlng=en
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author Keith Fluegge
Kyle Fluegge
author_facet Keith Fluegge
Kyle Fluegge
author_sort Keith Fluegge
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT The link between various air pollutants and hospitalization for epilepsy has come under scrutiny. We have proposed that exposure to air pollution and specifically the pervasive agricultural air pollutant and greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (N2O), may provoke susceptibility to neurodevelopmental disorders. Evidence supports a role of N2O exposure in reducing epileptiform seizure activity, while withdrawal from the drug has been shown to induce seizure-like activity. Therefore, we show here that the statewide use of anthropogenic nitrogen fertilizers (the most recognized causal contributor to environmental N2O burden) is significantly negatively associated with hospitalization for epilepsy in all three pre-specified hospitalization categories, even after multiple pollutant comparison correction (p<.007), while the other identified pollutants were not consistently statistically significantly associated with hospitalization for epilepsy. We discuss potential neurological mechanisms underpinning this association between air pollutants associated with farm use of anthropogenic nitrogen fertilizers and hospitalization for epilepsy.
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publisher Thieme Revinter Publicações
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series Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria
spelling doaj-art-11c41e9bc4f748bda015d721736dbd952025-08-20T02:01:53ZengThieme Revinter PublicaçõesArquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria1678-422775961461910.1590/0004-282x20170107S0004-282X2017000900614Air pollution and risk of hospitalization for epilepsy: the role of farm use of nitrogen fertilizers and emissions of the agricultural air pollutant, nitrous oxideKeith FlueggeKyle FlueggeABSTRACT The link between various air pollutants and hospitalization for epilepsy has come under scrutiny. We have proposed that exposure to air pollution and specifically the pervasive agricultural air pollutant and greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (N2O), may provoke susceptibility to neurodevelopmental disorders. Evidence supports a role of N2O exposure in reducing epileptiform seizure activity, while withdrawal from the drug has been shown to induce seizure-like activity. Therefore, we show here that the statewide use of anthropogenic nitrogen fertilizers (the most recognized causal contributor to environmental N2O burden) is significantly negatively associated with hospitalization for epilepsy in all three pre-specified hospitalization categories, even after multiple pollutant comparison correction (p<.007), while the other identified pollutants were not consistently statistically significantly associated with hospitalization for epilepsy. We discuss potential neurological mechanisms underpinning this association between air pollutants associated with farm use of anthropogenic nitrogen fertilizers and hospitalization for epilepsy.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2017000900614&lng=en&tlng=enepilepsiahospitalizaçãopoluição do arfertilizantesóxido nitroso
spellingShingle Keith Fluegge
Kyle Fluegge
Air pollution and risk of hospitalization for epilepsy: the role of farm use of nitrogen fertilizers and emissions of the agricultural air pollutant, nitrous oxide
Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria
epilepsia
hospitalização
poluição do ar
fertilizantes
óxido nitroso
title Air pollution and risk of hospitalization for epilepsy: the role of farm use of nitrogen fertilizers and emissions of the agricultural air pollutant, nitrous oxide
title_full Air pollution and risk of hospitalization for epilepsy: the role of farm use of nitrogen fertilizers and emissions of the agricultural air pollutant, nitrous oxide
title_fullStr Air pollution and risk of hospitalization for epilepsy: the role of farm use of nitrogen fertilizers and emissions of the agricultural air pollutant, nitrous oxide
title_full_unstemmed Air pollution and risk of hospitalization for epilepsy: the role of farm use of nitrogen fertilizers and emissions of the agricultural air pollutant, nitrous oxide
title_short Air pollution and risk of hospitalization for epilepsy: the role of farm use of nitrogen fertilizers and emissions of the agricultural air pollutant, nitrous oxide
title_sort air pollution and risk of hospitalization for epilepsy the role of farm use of nitrogen fertilizers and emissions of the agricultural air pollutant nitrous oxide
topic epilepsia
hospitalização
poluição do ar
fertilizantes
óxido nitroso
url http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2017000900614&lng=en&tlng=en
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