Long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with an increased risk of autoimmune diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, according to a new Italian scientific study.
The researchers, led by rheumatologist Dr. Giovanni Adami of the Department of Medicine at the University of Verona, who published the study in the medical journal RMD Open, analyzed data on 81,363 people (92% women) with a mean age of 65 years. of which 9,723 (12%) were diagnosed with an autoimmune disease between 2016 and 2020.
The likelihood of such a condition was correlated with air quality data from 617 meteorological stations in Italy. In particular, increased particle levels (PM10) were found to be associated with an increased risk of autoimmune disease: Any increase in particles by 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air (μg / m3) was found to increase the risk of such a disease by 7%.
Long-term exposure to PM10 particles (less than 10 millionths of a diameter in diameter) above 30 μg / m3 and PM2.5 particles (less than 2.5 millionths of a diameter) more than 20 μg / m3 was associated with a increase by 12% and 13%, respectively, of the risk for autoimmune disease.
This is especially true for rheumatoid arthritis, connective tissue diseases such as osteoarthritis, and inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis. Long-term exposure to air pollutants due to vehicles and industry was associated with a 40% increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis, 20% of inflammatory bowel disease and 15% of autoimmune connective tissue diseases.
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