Exposure to ambient air pollutants is associated with an increased incidence of hyperuricemia: A longitudinal cohort study among Chinese government employees

Lidan Duan; Muyang Zhang; Yuhan Cao; Yuwei Du; Meiling Chen; Rumeng Xue; Minxue Shen; Dan Luo; Shuiyuan Xiao; Yanying Duan

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2023.116631

Exposure to ambient air pollutants is associated with an increased incidence of hyperuricemia: A longitudinal cohort study among Chinese government employees

Environ Res. 2023 Oct 15:235:116631. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116631. Epub 2023 Jul 11.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, China.
² Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, China.
³ Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, China. Electronic address: duany@csu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37442260
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116631

Abstract

Background: It is widely recognized that ambient air pollution can induce various detrimental health outcomes. However, evidence linking ambient air pollutants and hyperuricemia incidence is scarce.

Objectives: To assess the association between long-term air pollution exposure and the risk of hyperuricemia.

Methods: In this study, a total of 5854 government employees without hyperuricemia were recruited and followed up from January 2018 to June 2021 in Hunan Province, China. Hyperuricemia was defined as serum uric acid (SUA) level of >420 μmol/L for men and >360 μmol/L for women or use of SUA-lowering medication or diagnosed as hyperuricemia during follow-up. Data from local air quality monitoring stations were used to calculate individual exposure levels of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, SO₂ and NO₂ by inverse distance weightingn (IDW) method. Cox proportional hazard model was applied to evaluate the causal relationships between air pollutant exposures and the risk of hyperuricemia occurrence after adjustment for potential confounders and meanwhile, restricted cubic spline was used to explore the dose-response relationships.

Results: The results indicated that exposures to PM₁₀ (hazard ratio, HR = 1.042, 95% conficence interal, 95% CI: 1.028, 1.057), PM_2.5 (HR = 1.204, 95% CI: 1.141, 1.271) and NO₂ (HR = 1.178, 95% CI: 1.125,1.233) were associated with an increased HR of hyperuricemia. In addition, a nonlinear dose-response relationship was found between PM₁₀ exposure level and the HR of hyperuricemia (p for nonlinearity = 0.158) with a potential threshold of 50.11 μg/m³. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that participants usually waking up at night and using natural ventilation were more vulnerable to the exposures of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, NO₂, and SO₂.

Conclusion: Long-term exposures to ambient PM₁₀, PM_2.5 and NO₂ are associated with an increased incidence of hyperuricemia among Chinese government employees.

Keywords: Air pollutant; Government employee; Hyperuricemia; Longitudinal cohort study.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollutants* / toxicity
Air Pollution* / adverse effects
Air Pollution* / analysis
China / epidemiology
Cohort Studies
Environmental Exposure / analysis
Environmental Pollutants* / analysis
Female
Government Employees
Humans
Hyperuricemia* / chemically induced
Hyperuricemia* / epidemiology
Incidence
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Nitrogen Dioxide / analysis
Particulate Matter / analysis
Particulate Matter / toxicity
Uric Acid / analysis

Substances

Air Pollutants
Environmental Pollutants
Nitrogen Dioxide
Uric Acid
Particulate Matter