We hypothesized that air pollution could cause oxidative damage and inflammation in the human body, which was linked to bone loss. Our result showed that long-term exposure to air pollution might decrease bone mineral density (BMD) T-score and increase the prevalence of osteoporosis in Hubei province.
Introduction: Osteoporosis is becoming an increasingly serious public health problem with the advent of global aging. Long-term exposure to air pollution has been linked to multitudinous adverse health outcomes, but evidence is still relatively limited and inconsistent for BMD T-score and osteoporosis. This study aimed at exploring the associations between long-term exposure to air pollution and BMD T-score and osteoporosis.
Methods: The Hubei part of the China Osteoporosis Prevalence Study was extracted. Data on air pollutants were collected by the national air quality real-time release platform of China Environmental Monitoring Station. Linear mixed models and multilevel logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between air pollution and BMD T-score and osteoporosis, respectively. Subgroup analyses were conducted to identify vulnerable populations.
Results: A total of 1845 participants were included in this cross-section study. Per 10 ug/m3 increase in PM2.5 and SO2 were associated with 0.20 (95% CI: 0.04, 0.36) and 0.31 (95% CI: 0.11, 0.51) decrease in BMD T-score of the neck of femur, respectively. Per 10 ug/m3 increase in CO was linked with 0.03 (95% CI: 0.02, 0.05) decrease in BMD T-score of the total hip. Per 1 ug/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with 5% increase in the prevalence of osteoporosis in all participants. In general, the higher concentrations of PM2.5 with the more adverse effect on osteoporosis (P for trend = 0.01). The impact of PM2.5 on osteoporosis in males was higher than that in females [1.29, 95% CI (1.11, 1.50) vs 1.01, 95% CI (0.95, 1.07)]. Per 1 ug/m3 increase in PM10 corresponded with 4% elevation in the risks of osteoporosis in rural population. The ORs (95% CI) for the association of osteoporosis and NO2 in ever/current smoking and drinking population were 1.07 (1.01, 1.13) and 1.05 (1.00, 1.09), respectively. SO2 had a statistically significant positive effect on people with comorbidity [OR = 1.10, (95% CI: 1.00 to 1.21)], while none in people without comorbidity [OR = 0.96, (95% CI: 0.88 to 1.05)].
Conclusion: Our study provided evidence that long-term exposure to PM2.5 was linked with the decreased BMD T-score and increased risk of osteoporosis among all participants. The adverse impacts of PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 were larger in males than in females. People having comorbidity, living in rural areas, and current/ever smoking or drinking were more vulnerable to air pollution. Public health departments should consider air pollution to formulate better preventive measures for osteoporosis.
Keywords: Air pollution; Fine particulate matter; Hubei; Long term; Osteoporosis.
© 2022. International Osteoporosis Foundation and Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation.