Background:
Exposure to traffic-related air pollution has been linked to the development and progression
of cardiometabolic diseases, where systemic inflammation might act as an underlying
mechanism. Based on a large nationwide sample of adults aged 18 – 79 years in Germany,
we analyzed the cross-sectional association of residential exposure to ambient particulate
matter (PM10) pollution and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) as a marker
of systemic inflammation.
Methods:
Data on serum hsCRP levels and sociodemographic, behavioral and anthropometric characteristics
were available from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults
(2008 – 2011, N = 7,115). Municipality-level data on population-weighted mean annual
concentration of PM10 in 2009 was assigned to each participant. Associations with
log-transformed hsCRP were analyzed using random-intercept multi-level linear regression
models including all participants with complete information.
Results:
Among 6,768 adults aged 18 – 79 years residing in 162 municipalities, respective means
(5th to 95th percentiles) amounted to 1.15 mg/L (0.17 – 8.43) for hsCRP and to 18.5
µg/m3 (12.5 – 24.8) for residential exposure to ambient PM10. The highest geometric mean
of hsCRP (1.30 mg/L) was found among persons in the highest PM10 exposure category
(>= 25.0 µg/m3). However, no statistically significant association of ambient PM10 exposure with
hsCRP was observed in uni- and multivariable models.
Conclusion:
Identifying and assessing the source-specific harmful components of ambient air pollution
in population-based studies is essential for unravelling the association between air
pollution and cardiometabolic diseases but remains challenging.
