Morbidity Rates in an Area with High Livestock Density: A Registry-Based Study Including Different Groups of Patients with Respiratory Health Problems

Abstract

There is continuing debate and public health concern regarding the previously confirmed association between high livestock density and human health. The primary aim of the current study is to assess the prevalence of respiratory and other health problems in a livestock dense area in the Netherlands, based on recent longitudinal health data and a large sample. Analyses are expanded with the investigation of different subgroups of patients with respiratory health problems and the inclusion of various chronic and acute health outcomes, as well as prescribed medication. Prevalence of health symptoms and chronic conditions was assessed for the period 2014–2016, based on electronic health records registered in 26 general practices located in areas with intensive livestock farming in the Netherlands (“livestock dense area”, n = 117,459 unique residents in total). These were compared with corresponding health data from general practices (n = 22) in different rural regions with a low density of livestock farms or other major environmental exposures (“control area”, n = 85,796 unique residents in total). Multilevel regression models showed a significantly higher prevalence of pneumonia in the total sample in the livestock dense area, which was also observed among susceptible subgroups of children, the elderly, and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Lower respiratory tract infections, respiratory symptoms, vertigo, and depression were also more common in the livestock dense area compared to the control area. In general, there were no significant differences in chronic conditions such as asthma, COPD, or lung cancer. Prescription rates for broad-spectrum antibiotics were more common among patients with pneumonia in the livestock dense area. Acute respiratory infections and symptoms, but not chronic conditions, were considerably more common in areas with a high livestock density. Identification of causal pathogens on the basis of serological analyses could further elucidate the underlying mechanisms behind the observed health effects.

The Influence of Income and Livelihood Diversification on Health-Related Quality of Life in Rural Ethiopia

“…However, this study indicated that higher livestock units had a negative influence on self-perceived physical health. A recent study supported our results and concluded that a dense livestock area adversely affects human health [46]. On the other hand, different types of animals are linked with different zoonoses and risk factors for brucellosis [18].…”

Risk of pneumonia among residents living near goat and poultry farms during 2014-2016

“…One limitation of EMR is that such data do not provide information on possible confounders such as smoking and socio-economic status, so no adjustment was possible. Data on other diseases that may be a risk factor for pneumonia, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), are available in EMR data, but these were not included because possible interactions with such health outcomes were out of the scope of this study; such health outcomes have been studied separately [5, 28, 29]. Previous research on a smaller population that adjusted for these potential confounders and comorbidities found limited influence on the associations between pneumonia and proximity to goat farms [11].…”

An Ecological Study to Investigate Links Between Atmospheric Pollutants From Farming and SARS-CoV-2 Mortality

“…The data provided by the above cited-studies [45][46][47][48] suggests that a link between excess COVID-19-related mortality and farming-related atmospheric pollutants is biologically plausible. The specific association we found between COVID-19-related mortality and NH3 might be explained by the hypothesis that atmospheric NH3 leads to the formation of alkaline aerosol which triggers a conformation change in the SARS-CoV-2 spike that facilitates fusion of the viral envelope with the plasma membrane of target cells [49].…”

“…Other studies have reported associations between exposure to livestock farming and respiratory diseases. Thus, a Netherlands study found that people living in high livestock density areas had a significantly higher prevalence of pneumonia than those living in low density areas [45]. A German study [46] found that people exposed to higher levels of NH3 had poorer pulmonary health and were more likely to be sensitized to ubiquitous allergens, than persons with lower NH3 exposure.…”