The Impact of the Synergistic Effect of Temperature and Air Pollutants on Chronic Lung Diseases in Subtropical Taiwan

Previous studies have suggested an association between air pollution and lung disease. However, few studies have explored the relationship between chronic lung diseases classified by lung function and environmental parameters. This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the relationship between...

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Main Authors: Da-Wei Wu, Szu-Chia Chen, Hung-Pin Tu, Chih-Wen Wang, Chih-Hsing Hung, Huang-Chi Chen, Tzu-Yu Kuo, Chen-Feng Wang, Bo-Cheng Lai, Pei-Shih Chen, Chao-Hung Kuo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-08-01
Series:Journal of Personalized Medicine
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/11/8/819
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Summary:Previous studies have suggested an association between air pollution and lung disease. However, few studies have explored the relationship between chronic lung diseases classified by lung function and environmental parameters. This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the relationship between chronic lung diseases, air pollution, meteorological factors, and anthropometric indices. We conducted a cross-sectional study using the Taiwan Biobank and the Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Database. A total of 2889 participants were included. We found a V/U-shaped relationship between temperature and air pollutants, with significant effects at both high and low temperatures. In addition, at lower temperatures (<24.6 °C), air pollutants including carbon monoxide (CO) (adjusted OR (aOR):1.78/Log 1 ppb, 95% CI 0.98–3.25; aOR:5.35/Log 1 ppb, 95% CI 2.88–9.94), nitrogen monoxide (NO) (aOR:1.05/ppm, 95% CI 1.01–1.09; aOR:1.11/ppm, 95% CI 1.07–1.15), nitrogen oxides (NO<sub>x</sub>) (aOR:1.02/ppm, 95% CI 1.00–1.05; aOR:1.06/ppm, 95% CI 1.04–1.08), and sulfur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>) (aOR:1.29/ppm, 95% CI 1.01–1.65; aOR:1.77/ppm, 95% CI 1.36–2.30) were associated with restrictive and mixed lung diseases, respectively. Exposure to CO, NO, NO<sub>2</sub>, NO<sub>x</sub> and SO<sub>2</sub> significantly affected obstructive and mixed lung disease in southern Taiwan. In conclusion, temperature and air pollution should be considered together when evaluating the impact on chronic lung diseases.
ISSN:2075-4426