The effects of traffic-related air pollutants on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the community-based general population

• Published in: Respiratory research 2021-08, Vol.22 (1), p.217-12, Article 217
• Main Authors: Hsu, Hui-Tsung, Wu, Chih-Da, Chung, Mu-Chi, Shen, Te-Chun, Lai, Ting-Ju, Chen, Chiu-Ying, Wang, Ruey-Yun, Chung, Chi-Jung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Air pollution; Air quality; Asthma; Blood pressure; Cancer; Cholesterol; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Cohort Studies; Disease; Environmental aspects; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental impact; Environmental protection; Epidemiology; Female; Health aspects; Humans; Independent Living - trends; Land-use regression model; Lung diseases; Lung diseases, Obstructive; Male; Matching; Medical screening; Middle Aged; Mortality; Obstructive lung disease; Organic chemicals; Particulate matter; Particulate Matter - adverse effects; Particulate Matter - analysis; PM2.5; Pollutants; Pollution index; Population; Population studies; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - diagnosis; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - epidemiology; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - etiology; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Regression models; Sensitivity analysis; Smoking; Taiwan - epidemiology; Traffic flow; Trucks; Vehicle Emissions - analysis
• ISSN: 1465-993X; 1465-9921; 1465-993X; 1465-9921
• DOI: 10.1186/s12931-021-01812-x

Previous studies have shown inconsistent results regarding the impact of traffic pollution on the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Therefore, using frequency matching and propensity scores, we explored the association between traffic pollution and COPD in a cohort of 8284 residents in a major agricultural county in Taiwan. All subjects completed a structured questionnaire interview and health checkups. Subjects with COPD were identified using Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Databases. A hybrid kriging/LUR model was used to identify levels of traffic-related air pollutants (PM and O ). Multiple logistic regression models were used to calculate the prevalence ratios (PRs) of COPD and evaluate the role played by traffic-related indices between air pollutants and COPD. The distributed lag nonlinear model was applied in the analysis; we excluded current or ever smokers to perform the sensitivity analysis. Increased PRs of COPD per SD increment of PM were 1.10 (95% CI 1.05-1.15) and 1.25 (95% CI 1.13-1.40) in the population with age and sex matching as well as propensity-score matching, respectively. The results of the sensitivity analysis were similar between the single and two pollutant models. PM concentrations were significantly associated with traffic flow including sedans, buses, and trucks (p