Associations between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and Parkinson's disease prevalence: A cross-sectional study

Farhad Salimi; Ivan Hanigan; Bin Jalaludin; Yuming Guo; Margaret Rolfe; Jane S Heyworth; Christine T Cowie; Luke D Knibbs; Martin Cope; Guy B Marks; Geoffrey G Morgan

doi:10.1016/j.neuint.2019.104615

Associations between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and Parkinson's disease prevalence: A cross-sectional study

Neurochem Int. 2020 Feb:133:104615. doi: 10.1016/j.neuint.2019.104615. Epub 2019 Nov 29.

Authors

Farhad Salimi¹, Ivan Hanigan², Bin Jalaludin³, Yuming Guo⁴, Margaret Rolfe⁵, Jane S Heyworth⁶, Christine T Cowie⁷, Luke D Knibbs⁸, Martin Cope⁹, Guy B Marks⁷, Geoffrey G Morgan¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ University Centre for Rural Health - North Coast, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Australia; Centre for Air Pollution, Energy and Health Research and Evaluation (NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence), Australia; Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Australia. Electronic address: farhad.salimi@sydney.edu.au.
² University Centre for Rural Health - North Coast, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Australia; Centre for Air Pollution, Energy and Health Research and Evaluation (NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence), Australia; Centre for Research and Action in Public Health, University of Canberra, Australia.
³ Centre for Air Pollution, Energy and Health Research and Evaluation (NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence), Australia; School of Public Health and Community Medicine and Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, University of New South Wales, Australia.
⁴ Centre for Air Pollution, Energy and Health Research and Evaluation (NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence), Australia; Centre for Research and Action in Public Health, University of Canberra, Australia.
⁵ University Centre for Rural Health - North Coast, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Australia.
⁶ Centre for Air Pollution, Energy and Health Research and Evaluation (NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence), Australia; School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Australia.
⁷ Centre for Air Pollution, Energy and Health Research and Evaluation (NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence), Australia; South West Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, Australia; Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, Australia.
⁸ Centre for Air Pollution, Energy and Health Research and Evaluation (NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence), Australia; School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Australia.
⁹ CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere, PMB1, Aspendale, VIC, Australia.
¹⁰ University Centre for Rural Health - North Coast, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Australia; Centre for Air Pollution, Energy and Health Research and Evaluation (NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence), Australia.

PMID: 31786292
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2019.104615

Abstract

Background: Epidemiological studies have reported contradictory results regarding the effects of ambient air pollution on Parkinson's disease (PD). This study investigated the associations between long-term exposure to particulate matter <2.5 μm in diameter (PM_2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and PD among participants in the 45 and Up Study, which comprised adults older than 45 years living in New South Wales, Australia.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of long-term exposure to PM_2.5 and NO₂ concentrations and prevalence of PD using data from around 240,000 cohort members from the 45 and Up Study, NSW. Annual average concentrations of NO₂ and PM_2.5 were estimated at the participants' residential address using satellite-based land use regression models. Logistic regression was used to quantify the associations between these pollutants and ever physician-diagnosed PD, after adjusting for a range of individual- and area-level covariates.

Results: Among the 236,390 participants with complete data, 1,428 (0.6%) reported physician-diagnosed PD. Annual mean PM_2.5 and NO₂ concentrations for the cohort were 5.8 and 11.9 μg m^-3, respectively, and were positively, but not statistically significantly associated with PD. The odds ratio for a 1 μg m^-3 increase in PM_2.5 was 1.01 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.98-1.04). The adjusted odds ratio for a 5 μg m^-3 increase in NO₂ was 1.03 (95% CI: 0.98-1.08). In subgroup analyses, larger associations for NO₂ were observed among past smokers (OR 1.11 (95% CI: 1.02-1.20) per 5 μg m^-3 increase).

Conclusions: Overall, we found limited evidence of associations between long-term exposure to NO₂ or PM_2.5 and PD. The associations observed among past smokers require further corroboration.

Keywords: 45 and up study; Air pollution; Parkinson's disease; Particulate matter.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Air Pollution / adverse effects*
Air Pollution / analysis
Cohort Studies
Cross-Sectional Studies
Environmental Exposure / adverse effects*
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Parkinson Disease / epidemiology*
Parkinson Disease / etiology
Particulate Matter / adverse effects
Time*

Substances

Particulate Matter