Carotid Intima-Media Thickness, a Marker of Subclinical Atherosclerosis, and Particulate Air Pollution Exposure: the Meta-Analytical Evidence

Provost, Eline B.; Madhloum, Narjes; Panis, Luc Int; Boever, Patrick De; Nawrot, Tim S.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0127014

Cited by 78 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…31 Many studies have found associations between particulate air pollution and CIMT. 11,14,15 Particulate air pollution has been somewhat more consistently associated with CIMT than with CAC. This may be due in part to different ranges and composition of ambient particulate air pollution in various study regions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Residential Proximity to Major Roads, Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter, and Coronary Artery Calcium

Dorans

Wilker

et al. 2016

ATVB

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Objective Long-term exposure to traffic and particulate matter air pollution is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, potentially via atherosclerosis promotion. Prior research on associations of traffic and particulate matter with coronary artery calcium Agatston score (CAC), an atherosclerosis correlate, has yielded inconsistent findings. Given this background, we assessed whether residential proximity to major roadway or fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were associated with CAC in a Northeastern U.S. study. Approach and Results We measured CAC up to two times from 2002–2005 and 2008–2011 among Framingham Offspring or Third Generation Cohort participants. We assessed associations of residential distance to major roadway and residential PM2.5 (2003 average; spatiotemporal model) with detectable CAC, using generalized estimating equation regression. We used linear mixed effects models to assess associations with loge(CAC). We also assessed associations with CAC progression. Models were adjusted for demographic variables, socioeconomic position markers and time. Among 3,399 participants, 51% had CAC measured twice. CAC was detectable in 47% of observations. At first scan, mean age was 52.2 years (standard deviation 11.7); 51% male. There were no consistent associations with detectable CAC, continuous CAC or CAC progression. We observed heterogeneous associations of distance to major roadway with odds of detectable CAC by hypertensive status; interpretation of these findings is questionable. Conclusions Our findings add to prior work and support evidence against strong associations of traffic or PM2.5 with the presence, extent or progression of CAC in a region with relatively low levels of and little variation in PM2.5.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Residential Proximity to Major Roads, Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter, and Coronary Artery Calcium

Dorans

Wilker

et al. 2016

ATVB

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“…Additionally, many studies have reported positive associations between particulate matter air pollution and CIMT. 14 15 27 Importantly, CIMT represents an earlier stage in vascular injury 64 than artery calcification, which only directly measures calcified elements. Perhaps relatively recent particulate matter pollution exposure contributes more to the development of soft plaque than to progression to arterial calcification, which may be more influenced by longer term exposures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Possible mechanisms through which particulate matter could lead to atherosclerosis promotion include imbalance of the autonomic nervous system, a systemic oxidative stress and inflammatory response and, possibly, the transportation of particles directly into arterial blood circulation. 1 17-19 Even in regions with relatively low levels of fine particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm, PM 2.5 ), studies have reported positive associations between PM 2.5 and cardiovascular or all-cause mortality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…26 Among elderly men living in the Boston area, carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, was associated with black carbon, a traffic correlate. 27 Though many studies have found positive associations between particulate matter air pollution and CIMT, 14 15 27 only two have explored associations of these exposures with aortic calcification, 13 28 a marker of systemic atherosclerosis and of a later stage of atherosclerotic disease than CIMT. Calcification in the thoracic aorta or abdominal aorta is correlated with other markers of subclinical atherosclerosis [29][30][31][32][33] and predicts incident cardiovascular disease.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Residential proximity to major roads, exposure to fine particulate matter and aortic calcium: the Framingham Heart Study, a cohort study

Dorans

Wilker

et al. 2017

BMJ Open

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ObjectivesTraffic and ambient air pollution exposure are positively associated with cardiovascular disease, potentially through atherosclerosis promotion. Few studies have assessed associations of these exposures with thoracic aortic calcium Agatston score (TAC) or abdominal aortic calcium Agatston score (AAC), systemic atherosclerosis correlates. We assessed whether living close to a major road and residential fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure were associated with TAC and AAC in a Northeastern US cohort.DesignCohort study.SettingFramingham Offspring and Third Generation participants residing in the Northeastern USA.Participants and outcome measuresAmong 3506 participants, mean age was 55.8 years; 50% female. TAC was measured from 2002 to 2005 and AAC up to two times (2002–2005; 2008–2011) among participants from the Framingham Offspring or Third Generation cohorts. We first assessed associations with detectable TAC (logistic regression) and AAC (generalised estimating equation regression, logit link). As aortic calcium scores were right skewed, we used linear regression models and mixed-effects models to assess associations with natural log-transformed TAC and AAC, respectively, among participants with detectable aortic calcium. We also assessed associations with AAC progression. Models were adjusted for demographic variables, socioeconomic position indicators and time.ResultsThere were no consistent associations of major roadway proximity or PM2.5 with the presence or extent of TAC or AAC, or with AAC progression. Some estimates were in the opposite direction than expected.ConclusionsIn this cohort from a region with relatively low levels of and variation in PM2.5, there were no strong associations of proximity to a major road or PM2.5 with the presence or extent of aortic calcification, or with AAC progression.

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“…Since its first use [92], several cross-sectional studies have reported associations between home outdoor levels of air pollution and CIMT, including one which combined data from four cohort studies [93]. As summarised in a meta-analysis [94], both the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between CIMT and air pollution were significant, although the associations between CIMT progression and long-term exposure were based on only three studies. However, another review [95] has not been able to demonstrate a clear association between CIMT progression and incident cardiovascular disease events, and so further work is needed to establish whether an increase in CIMT can be considered an indicator of adverse effects of air pollution on a chronic timescale.…”

Section: Cardiovascular Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A joint ERS/ATS policy statement: what constitutes an adverse health effect of air pollution? An analytical framework

et al. 2016

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The American Thoracic Society has previously published statements on what constitutes an adverse effect on health of air pollution in 1985 and 2000. We set out to update and broaden these past statements that focused primarily on effects on the respiratory system. Since then, many studies have documented effects of air pollution on other organ systems, such as on the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. In addition, many new biomarkers of effects have been developed and applied in air pollution studies. This current report seeks to integrate the latest science into a general framework for interpreting the adversity of the human health effects of air pollution. Rather than trying to provide a catalogue of what is and what is not an adverse effect of air pollution, we propose a set of considerations that can be applied in forming judgments of the adversity of not only currently documented, but also emerging and future effects of air pollution on human health. These considerations are illustrated by the inclusion of examples for different types of health effects of air pollution.

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Carotid Intima-Media Thickness, a Marker of Subclinical Atherosclerosis, and Particulate Air Pollution Exposure: the Meta-Analytical Evidence

Cited by 78 publications

References 44 publications

Residential Proximity to Major Roads, Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter, and Coronary Artery Calcium

Residential Proximity to Major Roads, Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter, and Coronary Artery Calcium

Residential proximity to major roads, exposure to fine particulate matter and aortic calcium: the Framingham Heart Study, a cohort study

A joint ERS/ATS policy statement: what constitutes an adverse health effect of air pollution? An analytical framework

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