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HERO ID
3360878
Reference Type
Journal Article
Title
Quantile Regression Analysis of the Distributional Effects of Air Pollution on Blood Pressure, Heart Rate Variability, Blood Lipids, and Biomarkers of Inflammation in Elderly American Men: The Normative Aging Study
Author(s)
Bind, MA; Peters, A; Koutrakis, P; Coull, B; Vokonas, P; Schwartz, J
Year
2016
Is Peer Reviewed?
Yes
Journal
Environmental Health Perspectives
ISSN:
0091-6765
EISSN:
1552-9924
Volume
124
Issue
8
Page Numbers
1189-1198
Language
English
PMID
26967543
DOI
10.1289/ehp.1510044
Web of Science Id
WOS:000380749900017
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Previous studies have observed associations between air pollution and heart disease. Susceptibility to air pollution effects has been examined mostly with a test of effect modification, but little evidence is available whether air pollution distorts cardiovascular risk factor distribution.
OBJECTIVES:
This paper aims to examine distributional and heterogeneous effects of air pollution on known cardiovascular biomarkers.
METHODS:
A total of 1,112 men from the Normative Aging Study and residents of the Boston Greater area with mean age of 69 years at baseline were included in this study during the period 1995-2013. We used quantile regression and random slope models to investigate distributional effects and heterogeneity in the traffic-related responses on blood pressure, heart rate variability, repolarization, lipids, and inflammation. We considered 28-day averaged exposure to particle number, PM2.5 black carbon, and PM2.5 mass concentrations (measured at a single monitor near the site of the study visits).
RESULTS:
We observed some evidence suggesting distributional effects of traffic-related pollutants on systolic blood pressure, heart rate variability, corrected QT interval, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglyceride, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). For example, among participants with LDL cholesterol below 80mg/dL, an interquartile range increase in PM2.5 black carbon exposure was associated with a 7mg/dL (95%CI: 5; 10) increase in LDL cholesterol while among subjects with LDL cholesterol levels close to 160mg/dL, the same exposure was related to a 16mg/dL (95%CI: 13; 20) increase in LDL cholesterol. We observed similar heterogeneous associations across low versus high percentiles of the LDL distribution for PM2.5 mass and particle number.
CONCLUSIONS:
These results suggest that air pollution distorts the distribution of cardiovascular risk factors, and that, for several outcomes, effects may be greatest among individuals who are already at high risk.
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