Air Pollution Linked To Increased Risk Of Autoimmune Diseases, Finds Study
The study specifically looked at long-term exposure to PM10 and PM2.5.
Exposure to air pollution for the long term could increase the risk of autoimmune disease, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Verona.
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Reported first by The Guardian, they conducted a comprehensive study involving medical information of over 81,000 men and women taken from an Italian database that monitored risk of fractures between June 2016 and November 2020. Around 12 percent of the lot were diagnosed with an autoimmune disease in this time frame.
Every single patient was linked to the nearest air quality monitoring station based on their residential postcode.
The study specifically looked at long-term exposure to PM10 and PM2.5. The particulate matter is considered harmful to humans at 30?g/m3 for PM10 and 20?g/m3 for PM2.5.
Researchers found that overall long-term exposure to aforementioned particulates above the safe levels was linked with 12 percent (for PM10) and 13 percent (for PM2.5) of developing an autoimmune disease, respectively.
They found that long-term high-level air pollution exposure was associated with a 40 percent higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis, a 20 percent higher risk of inflammatory bowel diseases like Chron¡¯s and ulcerative colitis and a 15 percent high risk of connective tissue diseases such as lupus.
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Felicity Gavins, the director of the Centre for Inflammation Research and Translational Medicine at Brunel University London, said, ¡°This study further supports the mounting evidence suggesting a link between air pollution exposure and immune-mediated diseases.¡±
She added, ¡°Whether air pollution exposure specifically causes autoimmune diseases remains controversial, although there is no doubt that there is a link.¡±
Researchers do acknowledge the fact that the findings don¡¯t prove a causal link to pollution and that other factors must also be taken into consideration. Moreover, the findings might not be applicable widely as the participants mostly involved older women at risk of getting fractured.
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