So, Rina;
Di Gessa, Giorgio;
Scholes, Shaun;
Taggart, Adam;
Lee, Jinkook;
Adar, Sara D;
Zaninotto, Paola;
(2025)
Long-term exposure to air pollution and incidence of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults aged 50 years and older: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
Journal of Global Ageing
10.1332/29767202y2025d000000031.
(In press).
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Abstract
Air pollution is a recognised risk factor for respiratory diseases, but its long-term effect on obstructive lung diseases in older adults remains inconclusive. We investigated the associations between long-term air pollution exposure and asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) incidence in 11,391 respondents (aged ≥ 50 years) in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, recruited in 2002–03 and followed up to 2017 for new asthma and COPD diagnoses or hospital records. Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) with a one-year lag were assessed at respondents’ residential addresses. Time-varying Cox models adjusted for confounders were used and effect modifiers were tested. Over the 15 follow-up years, we observed 343 asthma diagnoses, 531 COPD diagnoses and 236 COPD hospitalisations. PM2.5 was associated with asthma and COPD diagnosis and COPD hospitalisations. O3 was associated with COPD diagnosis and hospitalisation. Stronger associations of PM2.5 with asthma diagnosis were observed in ever-smokers, and stronger associations of PM2.5 and NO2 with COPD hospitalisation were observed in people aged 65+ and those in deprived areas; stronger associations of O3 with COPD hospitalisation were observed in men. These findings underscore the significant risk of air pollution exposure in developing asthma and COPD in adults, highlighting the need for further studies to strengthen the evidence and identify susceptible populations.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Long-term exposure to air pollution and incidence of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults aged 50 years and older: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1332/29767202y2025d000000031 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1332/29767202y2025d000000031 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | Long-term exposure to air pollution; asthma; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; adult population; longitudinal cohort |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Epidemiology and Public Health |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10212753 |
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