Gender differences in correlations between the content of elements in rain water and the frequency of hospitalization for arterial hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and psoriasis in Opole Voivodship, Poland, during 2000-2002.

The aim of this work is to show and give a plausible explanation to gender-dependent differences in correlations between the content of selected elements in rainwater and the frequency of hospitalization by reason of arterial hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and psoriasis in the area of Opolskie Voivodeship, Poland, during the period 2000-2002. The elements analyzed were sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, zinc, copper, lead, cadmium, nickel, chromium, chloride, nitrate, and sulfate. Hospitalization due to arterial hypertension was more frequent in women, whereas those for COPD and psoriasis were more frequent in men. In the case of women hospitalized for arterial hypertension, the correlations were low, except for zinc (r = 0.47) and for cadmium (r = 0.43). In men hospitalized for COPD, all of the correlation coefficients were higher than 0.4, except for phosphorus. The coefficients for nickel, ammonia nitrogen, and total nitrogen ranged from 0.5 to 0.6 and the remaining elements from 0.6 to 0.7. In women, the correlation was limited to five elements where the coefficient was r > 0.4 for chloride, calcium, nitrate, phosphorus, and chromium. In cases of hospitalization for psoriasis, the correlation in men was between 0.4 and 0.5 for chloride, phosphorus, copper, lead, and total nitrogen and greater than 5 for sulfate, potassium, calcium, iron, manganese, nitrate, and ammonium nitrogen. The correlation in women was between 0.48 and 0.5 for ammonium nitrogen and phosphorus.