According to a recent research of more than 364,000 adults in England, exposure to air pollution caused by traffic is linked to an elevated risk of having several long-term physical and mental health issues.
Led by researchers from Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, this is the largest study worldwide to examine whether air pollution exposure is linked with the occurrence of multiple long-term health conditions.
In primary care settings in the UK, multimorbidity, which is defined as having two or more physical or mental health disorders, affects 27% of individuals. Despite the fact that it raises the demand for healthcare services and the expense of primary and secondary care, its relationship with air pollution has not yet been researched in the UK.
The study, which was published in Frontiers in Public Health, revealed that exposure to high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) from traffic-related air pollution was linked to an increased risk of at least two long-term health disorders.
The co-occurrence of neurological, pulmonary, cardiovascular, and common mental health problems like depression and anxiety were found to have the highest connections.
This research was funded by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre and NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South London.
Dr. Amy Ronaldson, Research Associate at Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London and first author on the study said: “People with more than one long-term health condition have a lower quality of life and greater dependence on the healthcare system. Our NIHR funded research has indicated that those people that live in areas of higher traffic-related air pollution are at greater risk of having multiple health conditions. The study does not prove that air pollution causes multimorbidity, but it does warrant further research in this area. It could be that simple measures to reduce traffic levels could potentially improve lives and lessen the pressure on our healthcare systems.”
Researchers analysed data from UK Biobank a large-scale biomedical database and research resource containing anonymised genetic, lifestyle and health information from half a million UK participants. aged between 40 and 69 years. 36 chronic conditions of the participants’ physical and five of their mental health were evaluated. In order to be considered multimorbid, you must have two or more of these ailments.
People with more than one long-term health condition have a lower quality of life and greater dependence on the healthcare system. Our NIHR funded research has indicated that those people that live in areas of higher traffic-related air pollution are at greater risk of having multiple health conditions. The study does not prove that air pollution causes multimorbidity, but it does warrant further research in this area. It could be that simple measures to reduce traffic levels could potentially improve lives and lessen the pressure on our healthcare systems.
Dr. Amy Ronaldson
Data on physical and mental health collected by UK Biobank in 2010 were correlated with the estimated level of air pollution at the participants’ addresses.
The study found that those participants exposed to higher concentrations (above 10µg/m3) of fine particulate matter had a 21 per cent increased risk of two or more co-occurring conditions compared to those exposed to concentrations below 10µg/m3.
For participants exposed to above 30µg/m3 of NO2 the research showed a 20 per cent increased risk of having two or more co-occurring conditions compared to those participants that were exposed to concentrations of NO2 below 20µg/m3.
Amongst those with multiple conditions, increased exposure to both PM2.5 and NO2 was linked to a greater severity of the co-occurring conditions.
Dr. Ioannis Bakolis, Reader at IoPPN, King’s College London, and senior author on the study said: “How air pollution affects multiple organs and systems at the same time is not yet fully understood, but there is some evidence that mechanisms such as inflammation, oxidative stress and immune activation could be triggered by air particulates, which can cause damage to the brain, heart, blood, lungs and gut.”
“Our study suggests that it could be through shared mechanisms that air pollution negatively impacts several body systems and increases the likelihood of people developing multiple long term health conditions. More research is needed to understand just how air pollution affects the different bodily systems, but it may be that tackling air pollution could help prevent and alleviate the debilitating impact of multiple long-term health conditions.”
Researchers identified several patterns in the associations: the strongest links were primarily between conditions relating to the respiratory system (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) as well as the cardiovascular system (atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease, heart failure) but also to neurological and common mental conditions (stroke, substance abuse, depression, anxiety).
The study, ‘Associations between air pollution and multimorbidity in the UK Biobank: A cross-sectional study’ was published in Frontiers in Public Health.
This study has been funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London and the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South London.
Air pollution can also exacerbate existing health conditions, and can lead to increased hospitalization and premature death. To protect health, it is important to reduce air pollution through various measures such as limiting emissions from industrial and transportation sources, promoting clean energy and energy efficiency, and encouraging individuals to reduce their own exposure to air pollution.
