RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Associations of improved air quality with lung function growth from childhood to adulthood: The BAMSE study
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP 2201783
DO 10.1183/13993003.01783-2022
A1 Yu, Zhebin
A1 Merid, Simon Kebede
A1 Bellander, Tom
A1 Bergström, Anna
A1 Eneroth, Kristina
A1 Georgelis, Antonios
A1 Hallberg, Jenny
A1 Kull, Inger
A1 Ljungman, Petter
A1 Klevebro, Susanna
A1 Stafoggia, Massimo
A1 Wang, Gang
A1 Pershagen, Göran
A1 Gruzieva, Olena
A1 Melén, Erik
YR 2023
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2023/02/02/13993003.01783-2022.abstract
AB Background The beneficial effect of improving air quality on lung function development remains understudied. We assessed associations of changes in ambient air pollution levels with lung function growth from childhood until young adulthood in a Swedish cohort study.Methods In the prospective birth cohort BAMSE (Children, Allergy, Environment, Stockholm, Epidemiology), spirometry was conducted at the 8-year (2002–2004), 16-year (2011–2013) and 24-year follow-ups (2016–2019). Participants with spirometry data at 8 years and at least one another measurement in subsequent follow-ups were included (1509 participants with 3837 spirometry measurements). Ambient air pollution levels (particulate matter≤2.5 μm [PM2.5], particulate matter≤10 μm [PM10], black carbon [BC] and nitrogen oxides [NOx]) at residential addresses were estimated using dispersion modelling. Linear mixed-effect models were used to estimate associations between air pollution exposure change and lung function development.Results Overall, air pollution levels decreased progressively during the study period. For example, the median (interquartile range, IQR) of PM2.5 decreased from 8.24 (0.92) μg·m−3 during 2002–2004 to 5.21 (0.67) μg·m−3 during 2016–2019. At the individual level, for each IQR reduction of PM2.5 the lung function growth rate increased by 4.63 ml year−1 (95%CI:1.64–7.61, p<0.001) for FEV1 and 9.38 ml year−1 (95%CI: 4.76–14.00, p<0.001) for FVC. Similar associations were also observed for reductions of BC and NOx. Associations persisted after adjustment for potential confounders, and were not modified by asthma, allergic sensitization, overweight, early-life air pollution exposure or antioxidant dietary intake.Conclusions Long-term reduction of air pollution is associated with positive lung function development from childhood to young 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: All authors have nothing to disclose.