Associations of PM2.5 exposure with blood glucose impairment in early pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus

Xiaoyue Cheng; Xinhua Ji; Dongjian Yang; Chen Zhang; Lei Chen; Cong Liu; Xia Meng; Weidong Wang; Huichu Li; Haidong Kan; Hefeng Huang

doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113278

Associations of PM_2.5 exposure with blood glucose impairment in early pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2022 Mar 1:232:113278. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113278. Epub 2022 Feb 4.

Authors

Xiaoyue Cheng¹, Xinhua Ji¹, Dongjian Yang¹, Chen Zhang², Lei Chen², Cong Liu³, Xia Meng³, Weidong Wang³, Huichu Li⁴, Haidong Kan⁵, Hefeng Huang⁶

Affiliations

¹ International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Embryo Original Diseases, Shanghai, China.
² International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
³ School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and NHC Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Department of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
⁵ School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and NHC Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
⁶ International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Embryo Original Diseases, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: huanghefg@hotmail.com.

PMID: 35131583
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113278

Abstract

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) during pregnancy has been linked to the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), while conclusions are inconsistent. In this study we aimed to estimate the effects of prenatal PM_2.5 exposure with blood glucose in early pregnancy and the GDM risk. Participants were recruited from the SH-IPMCH-BTH cohort (n = 41,929), a study of air pollution and birth outcome. All participants provided serum samples for analyses of fasting blood glucose (FBG) and HbA1c during early pregnancy. GDM was diagnosed using an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) with the time interval of 1 h. Prenatal exposure to PM_2.5 was estimated using gap-filled satellite exposure assessments in Shanghai, China. Both FBG and HbA1c levels were significantly and positively associated with PM_2.5 exposure during early pregnancy. A 10 μg/m³ increase of PM_2.5 exposure from early to middle pregnancy was associated with the risk of GDM (first trimester OR=1.09, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.16; second trimester OR=1.09, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.16; first two trimester OR=1.15, 95%CI: 1.04, 1.28). The combined effects were greater among elevated FBG and HbA1c women with higher PM_2.5 exposure in middle trimester (P for interaction=0.037 and 0.001, respectively). This study found that exposure to PM_2.5 exposure in the 1^st and 2^nd trimesters was related to GDM. FBG and HbA1c played roles in the relationship between PM_2.5 exposure in the 2^nd trimester and GDM.

Keywords: Blood glucose; Fine particulate matter; Gestational diabetes mellitus; HbA1c.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollutants* / toxicity
Blood Glucose / analysis
China / epidemiology
Diabetes, Gestational* / chemically induced
Diabetes, Gestational* / epidemiology
Female
Humans
Particulate Matter / analysis
Particulate Matter / toxicity
Pregnancy

Substances

Air Pollutants
Blood Glucose
Particulate Matter