Air Pollution Increase Mortality Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: BMJ

A recent study published in the BMJ Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Diseases highlights the potential impact of air pollution on the prognosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis-associated Interstitial Lung Disease (RA-ILD). This study aimed to assess the effects of long-term exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤10 µm (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on mortality among patients with RA-ILD.

This research incorporating data from 309 patients with RA-ILD, with a mean age of 61.7 years and a male population of 44.3% and analyzed individual-level long-term exposure to PM10 and NO2 using a national-scale exposure prediction model. The research spanned a median follow-up period of 4.8 years and observed that 40.8% of patients either passed away or underwent lung transplantation during the study period.

The findings revealed that while there was no significant association between air pollutant concentration and mortality when pollutant levels were stratified by quartiles, a significant correlation emerged when stratified by high exposure (top 25th percentile) against low exposure (bottom 75th percentile). Also, a significant association was identified between high PM10 exposure and mortality, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.68 and a confidence interval (CI) of 1.11 to 2.52.

Further analysis in subgroup demographics revealed that the effect of high PM10 exposure on mortality was particularly pronounced in patients under the age of 65, with an HR of 1.98 and a CI of 1.02 to 3.85. These findings underline the potential health implications of air pollution, particularly PM10, on patients with RA-ILD. While NO2 exposure did not express a significant association with mortality in this study, the implications of prolonged exposure to PM10 on the prognosis of RA-ILD require further attention and research.

Source:

Kim, S. H., Kim, S.-Y., Yoon, H.-Y., & Song, J. W. (2024). PM10increases mortality risk in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease. In RMD Open (Vol. 10, Issue 1, p. e003680). BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/rmdopen-2023-003680