Abstract: Objective This study aimed to assess the visit characteristics of children with acute laryngitis in Beijing and the correlation of the visit characteristics with meteorological parameters and air pollutants. Methods Information pertaining to children with acute laryngitis who were treated at the ear, nose, and throat(ENT)department of Capital Institute of Pediatrics between 2013 and 2017, including age, gender, diagnoses, medications, and so on was collected; the visit characteristics of children with acute laryngitis in Beijing during those five years were analyzed, and those characteristics and the meteorological parameters, such as average air temperature, average air pressure, average relative humidity, and average wind speed, as well as major environmental pollutants(PM_2.5, PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, CO, O₃)in Beijing during the study period. The SPSS 20.0 statistical package program was used to analyze the data. Results The ENT department of the Capital Institute of Pediatrics treated a total of 3 286 children with acute laryngitis between 2013 and 2017, and the male/female ratio was about 2∶1; children with acute laryngitis were commonly younger than 4 years of age(69.42%); of those children, those aged 1-2 years accounted for the largest proportion in terms of department visits, and the incidence tended to decrease gradually with age; after the age of 8 years, the incidence plateaued, and the gender differences were not evident. The number of department visits during those five years was 854, 662, 790, 574, and 406, respectively, showing a decreasing trend year by year, which was similar to the decreasing trends of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀; however, the seasonal characteristics, peak and valley seasons of department visits, and peak and valley months were all different in those years; there was a significant correlation between the seasonal visits and average PM_2.5 and CO(r value: 0.490, 0.547, respectively; P<0.05), but there was no significant correlation between the seasonal visits and meteorological factors(average air temperature, average air pressure, average relative humidity, and average wind speed), as well as the major environmental pollutants(PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, O₃); there was also no significant correlation between daily or monthly visits and daily or monthly average values of those parameters. Conclusion Evident age patterns and gender differences were noted among children with acute laryngitis in Beijing, and the incidence tended to decrease gradually with age; there was a significant correlation between the seasonal visits and average PM_2.5 and CO.

Key words: Acute laryngitis, Meteorological parameters, Air pollutants, Children