Association between long term exposure to particulate matter and incident hypertension in Spain

Abstract

Exposure to air particulate matter has been linked with hypertension and blood pressure levels. The metabolic risks of air pollution could vary according to the specific characteristics of each area, and has not been sufficiently evaluated in Spain. We analyzed 1103 individuals, participants in a Spanish nationwide population based cohort study (di@bet.es), who were free of hypertension at baseline (2008–2010) and completed a follow-up exam of the cohort (2016–2017). Cohort participants were assigned air pollution concentrations for particulate matter < 10 μm (PM10) and < 2.5 μm (PM2.5) during follow-up (2008–2016) obtained through modeling combined with measurements taken at air quality stations (CHIMERE chemistry-transport model). Mean and SD concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 were 20.17 ± 3.91 μg/m3 and 10.83 ± 2.08 μg/m3 respectively. During follow-up 282 cases of incident hypertension were recorded. In the fully adjusted model, compared with the lowest quartile of PM10, the multivariate weighted ORs (95% CIs) for developing hypertension with increasing PM10 exposures were 0.82 (0.59–1.14), 1.28 (0.93–1.78) and 1.45 (1.05–2.01) in quartile 2, 3 and 4 respectively (p for a trend of 0.003). The corresponding weighted ORs according to PM2.5 exposures were 0.80 (0.57–1.13), 1.11 (0.80–1.53) and 1.48 (1.09–2.00) (p for trend 0.004). For each 5-μg/m3 increment in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations, the odds for incident hypertension increased 1.22 (1.06–1.41) p = 0.007 and 1.39 (1.07–1.81) p = 0.02 respectively. In conclusion, our study contributes to assessing the impact of particulate pollution on the incidence of hypertension in Spain, reinforcing the need for improving air quality as much as possible in order to decrease the risk of cardiometabolic disease in the population.

Long-term effects of ambient particulate matter on hypertension among royal Thai army officers: a retrospective cohort study

“…The positive associations closely align with other investigations, such as the study conducted by Viyey et al (HR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.09-2.00), 31 the study by Zhang et al (HR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00-1.07), 12 and Prabhakaran et al (HR = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.95-1.43); this also showed a similar nonlinear pattern in hazard ratios within Quartiles 2-4 when utilizing a 2-year average PM2.5 measurement. 32 It is important to acknowledge the challenges associated with accurately identifying hypertension.…”

“…The subgroup analysis showed that the association between PM2.5 exposure and hypertension was stronger among men, consistent with findings from other studies. 2,31 This discrepancy could be attributed to the differing duties of male and female officers. Female personnel often hold administrative or medical positions with less outdoor exposure and operational activity than their male counterparts.…”

Noise and Air Pollution as Risk Factors for Hypertension: Part I—Epidemiology

“…In a cohort of American women, long-term exposure to PM 2.5 was prospectively associated with hypertension risk (HR, 1.06 [95% CI:, .02–1.11]). 48 Likewise, in Spanish adults, higher exposure to PM 2.5 and PM 10 was significantly related to an increased incidence of hypertension 49 and similar in cohorts of Chinese children and adolescents 50 and adults. 51 In a Chinese cohort exposed to extreme levels of air pollution, a relationship between black carbon (an anthropogenic surrogate of fossil fuel combustion) and ambulatory blood pressure was demonstrated: a 1 µg increase in black carbon during the previous 10 hours was associated with an increase in systolic blood pressure of 0.53 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure of 0.37 mm Hg (95% CI, 0.17–0.89 and 0.10–0.65 mm Hg, respectively), 52 which also caused heart rate variability suggestive of sympathetic dominance.…”

Association of fine particulate matter and its constituents with hypertension: the modifying effect of dietary patterns

“…(Mean ± SD of PM 2.5 exposure: 15.61 ± 4.24 µg/m 3 vs. 53.4 ± 23.0 µg/m 3 ). Another cohort study conducted in a Spanish population showed that the Mediterranean diet did not modify the relation between long-term exposure to PM 2.5 and incident of HTN [ 24 ]. However, the sample size of this study ( n= 1,103) was small, and the PM 2.5 exposure levels of subjects were much lower than those of our subjects.…”