Long-term exposure to particulate matter was associated with increased dementia risk using both traditional approaches and novel machine learning methods

Abstract

Air pollution exposure has been linked to various diseases, including dementia. However, a novel method for investigating the associations between air pollution exposure and disease is lacking. The objective of this study was to investigate whether long-term exposure to ambient particulate air pollution increases dementia risk using both the traditional Cox model approach and a novel machine learning (ML) with random forest (RF) method. We used health data from a national population-based cohort in Taiwan from 2000 to 2017. We collected the following ambient air pollution data from the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (EPA): fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and gaseous pollutants, including sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), nitrogen oxide (NOx), nitric oxide (NO), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Spatiotemporal-estimated air quality data calculated based on a geostatistical approach, namely, the Bayesian maximum entropy method, were collected. Each subject's residential county and township were reviewed monthly and linked to air quality data based on the corresponding township and month of the year for each subject. The Cox model approach and the ML with RF method were used. Increasing the concentration of PM2.5 by one interquartile range (IQR) increased the risk of dementia by approximately 5% (HR = 1.05 with 95% CI = 1.04–1.05). The comparison of the performance of the extended Cox model approach with the RF method showed that the prediction accuracy was approximately 0.7 by the RF method, but the AUC was lower than that of the Cox model approach. This national cohort study over an 18-year period provides supporting evidence that long-term particulate air pollution exposure is associated with increased dementia risk in Taiwan. The ML with RF method appears to be an acceptable approach for exploring associations between air pollutant exposure and disease.

Post-stroke dysphagia and ambient air pollution are associated with dementia

“…The current study revealed significant associations between exposure to PM2.5 and the incidence of dementia in patients with stroke, even after adjusting for age, gender, and various comorbidities. These results are consistent with previous research which has revealed that exposure to particulate air pollution, particularly PM2.5, increases the risk of developing dementia ( Smargiassi et al, 2020 ; Yan et al, 2022 ; Abolhasani et al, 2023 ). A large national population-based cohort study conducted in Taiwan revealed that an increase in the PM2.5 concentration by one IQR (10.29) elevated the risk of dementia by approximately 5% (HR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.04–1.05) ( Yan et al, 2022 ).…”

“…These results are consistent with previous research which has revealed that exposure to particulate air pollution, particularly PM2.5, increases the risk of developing dementia ( Smargiassi et al, 2020 ; Yan et al, 2022 ; Abolhasani et al, 2023 ). A large national population-based cohort study conducted in Taiwan revealed that an increase in the PM2.5 concentration by one IQR (10.29) elevated the risk of dementia by approximately 5% (HR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.04–1.05) ( Yan et al, 2022 ). Another large cohort study in Canada involving 1,807,133 individuals revealed that an IQR increase in time-varying exposure to PM2.5 (IQR = 3.90 μg/m 3 ) was associated with an HR of 1.016 (95% CI = 1.003–1.028; Smargiassi et al, 2020 ).…”

Bioinformatic Analysis of the Association Between Myocardial Disease and Diesel Particulate Matter

“…DPM is aff ected by fuel source, engine type, and operating conditions. Owing to its small particle size, DPM remains in the atmosphere for a long duration, adsorbing harmful substances such as various trace metals, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), and nitroarenes, showing various chemical variabilities [10]. DPM enters cells, attaches to blood vessels, causes respiratory diseases, and move to other tissues through the blood, causing cardiovascular and lung function aggravation over long-term exposure, eventually leading to death [11].…”