The Arnau de Vilanova hospital in Lleida wants to promote a study to analyze if the emission of organic polluting particles coming from agricultural, industrial activity or from the combustion of vehicles and heating systems is behind the concentration of sarcoidosis cases detected in the territory. The center registers a prevalence of about four weekly cases of this disease, which causes inflammation in the lungs.
The initiative involves locating the pathology by zones, checking its prevalence in Lleida and relating it to the type of polluting particles present in the city. To this end, the Arnau has already contacted the Clínic hospital in Barcelona with the aim of exploring the implementation of this work.
Suspicion centers on environmental exposure
The center's pulmonologist Silvia Barril maintained that in the hospital there is the impression that a part of this disease may be linked to the inhalation of organic particles present in the air. Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory lung pathology and the volume of cases treated in Lleida has led the center to propose a more detailed analysis of the environment and its possible impact on respiratory health.
"The perception is that there is a lot of illness due to the inhalation of these organic particles" - Silvia Barril, pulmonologist
The study that is sought to be promoted will seek to cross-reference the distribution of cases with the environmental characteristics of each area, with the aim of determining if there is a relationship between exposure to certain pollutants and the appearance of the disease.
The plain of Lleida, an area propitious for accumulation
At a conference on Pulmonology and Primary Care held at the Arnau, meteorologist Gemma Puig explained that the plain is one of the areas where pollutant particles accumulate the most due to its orography. That geographical factor is one of the elements that are put on the table when it comes to understanding how atmospheric pollution behaves in Lleida and what effect it can have on the population.
The accumulation of particles in the plain appears as one of the key elements to understand air quality in the city and its surroundings. The hospital's approach now involves better defining where diagnoses are concentrated and if that distribution fits with the points of greatest exposure.
Respiratory diseases, very present in daily care
The healthcare pressure linked to respiratory problems is also noticeable in the Primary Care network. The doctor from the Cappont CAP, Beatriz Enrich, pointed out that one out of every four visits in Primary Care in Lleida is related to a respiratory pathology. Among the most common are asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, known as MPOC.
The possible study on sarcoidosis is framed within that context of a high presence of respiratory diseases in Lleida, a reality that healthcare professionals follow closely while they try to clarify to what extent the environmental conditions of the territory may be influencing the pulmonary health of the population.