| Title: | Air pollution and dynamic transitions of preserved ratio impaired spirometry in UK Biobank |
| Journal: | Communications Medicine |
| Published: | 12 Nov 2025 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41258218/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-025-01225-7 |
| URL: | https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-025-01225-7_reference.pdf |
Publication 18955
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Abstract
BackgroundAlthough air pollution has been recognized as a risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), little is known regarding the role of air pollutant exposure, specifically particulate matter (PM), in the dynamic transitions among normal spirometry (lung function), pre-COPD status, and COPD status.MethodsPulmonary function observations from the UK Biobank cohort were categorized as normal spirometry, preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm), defined as forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) < 80% predicted and FEV1/ forced vital capacity (FVC) > 0.70, or spirometry-defined COPD. Multi-state Markov models were used to characterize the association between air pollution exposure (PM2.5, PM coarse, PM10, NO2, and NOx) and transitional pathways among three COPD statuses.ResultsWe include 33,217 participants (71,287 visits) and find that each interquartile range increase in exposure of PM2.5, NO2, and NOx is associated with a lower probability of reverting from PRISm to normal spirometry [HR (95% CI): 0.88 (0.81, 0.96) for PM2.5; 0.86 (0.79, 0.93) for NO2 and 0.89 (0.83, 0.96) for NOx]. Progression from PRISm to COPD shows PM10 exposure is positively associated with a significant risk increase [1.16 (1.02, 1.31)]. In a counterfactual scenario where we reduce the exposure level of PM2.5 from 9.92 μg/m3 to 5 μg/m3, the study participants could have been 4.42% less likely to progress from PRISm to COPD.ConclusionsFindings reveal that higher levels of PM10 exposure are linked to an increased risk of PRISm progression, while exposure to PM2.5, NO2, and NOx is associated with a reduced likelihood of spirometry recovery to normal levels. These findings offer new insights into potential health benefits resulting from interventions targeting air pollution.</p>
12 Authors
- Xueyan Han
- Zhaoyang Pan
- Yimin Qu
- Jian Guo
- Hailu Zhu
- Hanchao Cheng
- Yicong Wang
- Qi Wang
- Ke Huang
- Tianjia Guan
- Ting Yang
- Chen Wang
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 76248 | Multiple exposures and chronic diseases: correlation and risk estimation |
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