Associations of long-term exposure to air pollutants, physical activity and platelet traits of cardiovascular risk in a rural Chinese population

Jian Hou; Yanying Duan; Xiaotian Liu; Ruiying Li; Runqi Tu; Mingming Pan; Xiaokang Dong; Zhenxing Mao; Wenqian Huo; Gongbo Chen; Yuming Guo; Shanshan Li; Chongjian Wang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140182

Associations of long-term exposure to air pollutants, physical activity and platelet traits of cardiovascular risk in a rural Chinese population

Sci Total Environ. 2020 Oct 10:738:140182. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140182. Epub 2020 Jun 12.

Authors

Jian Hou¹, Yanying Duan², Xiaotian Liu¹, Ruiying Li¹, Runqi Tu¹, Mingming Pan¹, Xiaokang Dong¹, Zhenxing Mao¹, Wenqian Huo¹, Gongbo Chen³, Yuming Guo⁴, Shanshan Li⁵, Chongjian Wang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
² Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.
³ Department of Global Health, School of Health Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
⁴ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China; Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
⁵ Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: Shanshan.Li@monash.edu.
⁶ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China. Electronic address: tjwcj2008@zzu.edu.cn.

PMID: 32594998
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140182

Abstract

Background: Long-term exposure to air pollutants relate to increase risk of cardiovascular diseases that may be partially attributable to platelet dysfunction. Physical activity (PA) may attenuate inflammation to modulate platelet function. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate associations of air pollutants and PA with platelet traits of cardiovascular risk.

Methods: A total of 31,282 participants were obtained from the Henan Rural Cohort (n = 39,259). The concentrations of particulate matter (PM) (PM with an aerodynamic diameter ≤1.0 μm (PM₁), ≤2.5 μm (PM_2.5), or ≤10 μm (PM₁₀)) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) were evaluated by using a spatiotemporal model incorporated into satellites data. Independent and combined effects of air pollutants and PA on platelet traits were analyzed by linear mixed models.

Results: Positive associations of PM₁, PM_2.5, PM₁₀ and NO₂ with platelet indices (mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW) and platelet large cell ratio (P-LCR), the MPV to platelet counts (PLT) ratio (MPVP)) were observed, whereas negative associations of PM₁₀ and NO₂ with PLT or plateletcrit (PCT) were observed; negative interaction effects of PM_2.5 PM₁₀ and NO₂ and PA on MPV, PDW or P-LCR were found; negative interaction effects of PM₁, PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ and PA on PCT were observed.

Conclusions: Long-term exposure to air pollutants were related to increase platelet size and these associations were attenuated by increased PA, implying that PA is a costless and affordable method to decrease adverse effects on platelet traits in relation to air pollutants.

Keywords: Nitrogen dioxide; Particulate matter; Physical activity; Platelet traits; Rural population.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants / analysis*
Air Pollution / analysis*
Cardiovascular Diseases*
Environmental Exposure / analysis
Exercise
Humans
Nitrogen Dioxide / analysis
Particulate Matter / analysis
Risk Factors

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter
Nitrogen Dioxide