RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Air pollution and the development of asthma from birth until young adulthood
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP 2000147
DO 10.1183/13993003.00147-2020
A1 Gehring, Ulrike
A1 Wijga, Alet H.
A1 Koppelman, Gerard H.
A1 Vonk, Judith M.
A1 Smit, Henriette A.
A1 Brunekreef, Bert
YR 2020
UL https://publications.ersnet.org//content/early/2020/03/26/13993003.00147-2020.abstract
AB Background Air pollution is associated with asthma development in children and adults, but the impact on asthma development during the transition from adolescence to adulthood is unclear. Adult studies lack historical exposures and consequently cannot assess the relevance of exposure during different periods of life. We assessed the relevance of early life and more recent air pollution exposure for asthma development from birth until early adulthood.Methods We used data of 3,687 participants of the prospective Dutch PIAMA birth cohort and linked asthma incidence until age 20 to estimated concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), PM2.5 absorbance (“soot”) and particulate matter with a diameter <2.5 μm (PM2.5), <10 μm (PM10), and 2.5–10 μm (PMcoarse) at the residential address. We assessed overall and age-specific associations with air pollution exposure with discrete time hazard models, adjusting for potential confounders.Results Overall, we found higher incidence of asthma until age 20 with higher exposure to all pollutants at the birth address [adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) ranging from 1.09 (1.01–1.18) for PM10 to 1.20 (1.10–1.32) for NO2) per interquartile range increase] that were rather persistent with age. Similar associations were observed with more recent exposure defined as exposure at the current home address. In two-pollutant models with PM, associations with NO2 persisted.Conclusions Exposure to air pollution, especially from motorised traffic, early in life may have long-term consequences for asthma development as it is associated with an increased odds of developing asthma through childhood and adolescence into early adulthood.FootnotesThis manuscript has recently been accepted for publication in the European Respiratory Journal. It is published here in its accepted form prior to copyediting and typesetting by our production team. After these production processes are complete and the authors have approved the resulting proofs, the article will move to the latest issue of the ERJ online. Please open or download the PDF to view this article.Conflict of interest: Dr. Gehring has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Wijga has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Koppelman reports grants from Lung Foundation of the Netherlands, during the conduct of the study; grants from Lung Foundation of the Netherlands, TETRI Foundation, UBBO EMMIUS Foundation, TEVA the Netherlands, VERTEX, GSK, other from GSK, outside the submitted work.Conflict of interest: Dr. Vonk has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Smit has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Brunekreef has nothing to disclose.