| Title: | Association of ambient air pollution with incident rheumatoid arthritis, subsequent respiratory diseases, and death: A multi-state analysis of a prospective cohort |
| Journal: | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| Published: | 24 Jun 2025 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40561603/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.118557 |
Publication 16409
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have mostly examined the separate effects of air pollution exposure on the onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or respiratory diseases. However, no studies have further explored the impact of air pollution on the progression from a baseline healthy population to the onset of RA, followed by the further complication of respiratory diseases and, ultimately, mortality.</p>
METHODS: Based on data from the UK Biobank, we included 340,485 participants without RA or respiratory diseases. Air pollution exposure levels were estimated by land use regression modeling, and multi-state modeling was used to assess the impact of air pollution on RA disease progression trajectories.</p>
RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 12.66 years, 3650 participants developed RA, of whom 553 subsequently developed respiratory diseases; 24,016 participants died during this process. We observed that PM2.5, NO2, and NOx exposures adversely affected the development of RA, with PM2.5 and NO2 exposures contributing to the subsequent development of respiratory diseases. Furthermore, all four air pollutants were associated with increased mortality risk. Notably, PM2.5 and NO2 demonstrated the strongest effects on the transition from RA to death, with hazard ratios (HRs) per interquartile range (IQR) increase of 1.21 (95 % CI: 1.06-1.37) and 1.20 (95 % CI: 1.05-1.37), respectively. However, no significant effect of air pollution was observed on the further progression from respiratory diseases complicating RA to death.</p>
CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that air pollution abatement may help prevent the onset of RA as well as its further progression.</p>
10 Authors
- Bin-Bin Feng
- Yu-Xuan Zhang
- Xing-Yue Dai
- Mei-Qin Nie
- Yong-Yong Liu
- Ruo-Wei Ma
- Lin Zhu
- Yu-Ye Zuo
- Hai-Feng Pan
- Guo-Cui Wu
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 80827 | Dissecting the relationships between autoimmune rheumatic diseases and cancer |
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