NAPLES, Italy — A 20-month study to determine if living in Naples increased the number of asthma sufferers, or increased the severity of the illness, has proved inconclusive, according to a Navy report.
Experts from the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center analyzed records of 581 patients who sought treatment at the Navy’s hospital and clinics in the Naples area to answer these two questions:
n Do asthma symptoms worsen for Navy active duty and family members while living in Naples?
n Are personnel more susceptible to asthma four to six months after arriving in Naples?
The statistical results were inconclusive.
The study did find, however, that the percentage of patients suffering from asthma in Naples is lower than that of the general U.S. population, said Chris Rennix, the lead author.
However, he cautioned against comparing the two, since military personnel and dependents tend to receive more health care and health screenings before moving overseas.
In February, the Navy launched a multimillion-dollar health assessment to determine if living in Naples poses a health hazard to members and their families. The study includes assessing the quality of tap water, soil and soil gases.
The asthma study conclusion differs slightly from a message Navy officials posted on their official health assessment Web site announcing the findings, which read: "Another piece of the comprehensive Naples Public Health Evaluation is back and the news looks good."
The asthma study period ranged from Oct. 1, 2006, through June 30, 2008 and looked at 581 patients who made 1,175 medical asthma-related visits to the U.S. Naval Hospital at the support site in Gricignano, or clinics at the Capodichino base or in Gaeta. Residents of Gaeta, though 60 miles north of Naples, were included because some work or go to school in Naples.
The experts analyzed only patients suffering from asthma and did not include those treated for eye irritations, runny noses, sore throats, coughs or colds, for example, since there are too many variables beyond exposure to smoke or pollution that can trigger problems, said Paul Gillooly, the center’s leader for the Naples study. "[A]sthma has a pretty well recognized diagnostic criteria."
"The asthma patients are more like the canaries in the coal mine," Rennix added. "They’re the ones who already have a sensitive airway system and so a new insult should prompt a response."
Experts identified May 2007 as a period of "mass burning" of garbage by Neapolitans, when garbage for weeks was not picked up by haulers and littered the streets. However, according to the study, the number of patient visits for asthma decreased by nearly half in the months of June, July and August.
There is not enough data collected thus far to draw any conclusions, Rennix said.
"This study was unable to identify any significant trends that might associate increased exposure to smoke from burning trash with either an increase in average asthma severity or number of medical visits diagnosed as asthma," the study’s conclusion reads.
Of the 581 patients, 341 were children, defined as patients under 20 years of age. While civilians and other non-military beneficiaries were eligible, experts ruled them out because of a lack of medical documentation for asthma before they arrived to Naples. Patients who sought medical treatment outside of the military health care system were not included in the study.
During the 20-month study period, five of the 581 patients had at least one visit "scored as severe," a statistic that is less than 1 percent of the asthma cases, the study noted.
Experts do not know if any of the 581 suffered from asthma before moving to Naples because they did not analyze any earlier medical records.
Navy officials will continue to collect and analyze medical date for the next six months and update the report in June 2009, according to the study.
Naples and its surrounding cities have well over the maximum number of days for unacceptable amounts of air pollutants called particulate matter, which residents inhale. Any city that surpasses the maximum acceptable level more than 35 days in a calendar year must enact anti-smog programs in an effort to bring the count back down.
As of Friday, Naples had surpassed the acceptable level on 138 days. City officials have enacted their anti-smog program for Sunday. Vehicles that are not "eco-friendly" are barred from driving downtown from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
