Association between mortality of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and air Pollution levels in Madrid

Abstract

Aim: To assess the relationship between air pollution and the mortality of IPF.

Methods: The probability of death was analysed from 52 IPF patients diagnosed in our ILD Unit from 2011 to 2019 and it was related to the values of (CO, NO2, PM2.5, PM10, O3 and SO2) in Madrid during that period.

Results: Fifty-two patients were reviewed with a mean age of 66±10 years at the time of diagnosis, 11 (21%) of them were women.

The average of the pollutants from the three months prior to the date of death of the 18 (34.6%) patients who died was SO2=8,48 ± 0,59 μg/m2, NO2=55,59 ± 2,43 μg/m2, CO=0,39 ± 0,02 mg/m2, O3=41,03 ± 3,79 μg/m2, PM2,5=11,09 ± 0,53 μg/m2, PM10= 21,17 ± 0,94 μg/m2 and the average air in the previous three months to the last clinic visit in 34 (65,6%) patients who are still alive was SO2 =8,26±0,43μg/m2, NO2=53,02±1,76μg/m2, CO=0,27±0,01 mg/m2 O3=46,08±2,76 μg/m2 PM2,5=10.97±0,38 μg/m2 PM10=21,91±0,68 μg/m2.

We observed that pollution levels in all patients were associated with the likelihood of dying in one case: OR SO2= 1,19 (0,37-3,82) (p=0,75), OR CO=2,45 (1,39-4,56) (p=0,005), OR NO2 = 1,13 (0,84-1,50) (p=0,39), OR O3 = 0,90 (0,75-1,09) (p=0,28), OR PM2,5 = 1,12 (0,30-4,23) (p=0,85), OR PM10 = 0,78 (0,37-1,66) (p=0,51).

Conclusion: Mortality was significantly associated with increased CO exposure, with an OR of 2.45 (95% CI 1.39-4.56) for each increase of 0.1 mg/m2. No association was observed between IPF mortality and all other contaminants studied