Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

  • Volume 35
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  • Pages.51.1-51.15
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  • 2023
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  • 1225-3618(pISSN)
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  • 2052-4374(eISSN)
The Korean Society of Occupational & Environmental Medicine (대한직업환경의학회)
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Association between ambient particulate matter levels and hypertension: results from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study

  • Sewhan Na (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital) ;
  • Jong-Tae Park (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital) ;
  • Seungbeom Kim (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital) ;
  • Jinwoo Han (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital) ;
  • Saemi Jung (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital) ;
  • Kyeongmin Kwak (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital)
  • Received : 2023.08.28
  • Accepted : 2023.11.15
  • Published : 2023.12.31
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Abstract

Background: Recently, there has been increasing worldwide concern about outdoor air pollution, especially particulate matter (PM), which has been extensively researched for its harmful effects on the respiratory system. However, sufficient research on its effects on cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, remains lacking. In this study, we examine the associations between PM levels and hypertension and hypothesize that higher PM concentrations are associated with elevated blood pressure. Methods: A total of 133,935 adults aged ≥ 40 years who participated in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study were analyzed. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate the short- (1-14 days), medium- (1 and 3 months), and long-term (1 and 2 years) impacts of PM on blood pressure. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the medium- and long-term effects of PM on blood pressure elevation after adjusting for sex, age, body mass index, health-related lifestyle behaviors, and geographic areas. Results: Using multiple linear regression analyses, both crude and adjusted models generated positive estimates, indicating an association with increased blood pressure, with all results being statistically significant, with the exception of PM levels over the long-term period (1 and 2 years) in non-hypertensive participants. In the logistic regression analyses on non-hypertensive participants, moderate PM10 (particulate matter with diameters < 10 ㎛) and PM2.5 (particulate matter with diameters < 2.5 ㎛) levels over the long-term period and all high PM10 and PM2.5 levels were statistically significant after adjusting for various covariates. Notably, high PM2.5 levels of the 1 year exhibited the highest odds ratio of 1.23 (95% confidence interval: 1.19-1.28) after adjustment. Conclusions: These findings suggest that both short- and long-term exposure to PM is associated with blood pressure elevation.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

Data in this study were from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES; 6635-302), National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Republic of Korea.

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