Associations between Long-Term Air Pollutant Exposures and Blood Pressure in Elderly Residents of Taipei City: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Limited information is available regarding long-term effects of air pollution on blood pressure (BP) and hypertension.

Objective

We studied whether 1-year exposures to particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x) were correlated with BP and hypertension in the elderly.

Methods

We analyzed cross-sectional data from 27,752 Taipei City residents > 65 years of age who participated in a health examination program in 2009. Land-use regression models were used to estimate participants’ 1-year exposures to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm (PM₁₀), coarse particles (PM_2.5–10), fine particles (≤ 2.5 μm; PM_2.5), PM_2.5 absorbance, NO_x, and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). Generalized linear regressions and logistic regressions were used to examine the association between air pollution and BP and hypertension, respectively.

Results

Diastolic BP was associated with 1-year exposures to air pollution, with estimates of 0.73 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.44, 1.03], 0.46 (95% CI: 0.30, 0.63), 0.62 (95% CI: 0.24, 0.99), 0.34 (95% CI: 0.19, 0.50), and 0.65 (95% CI: 0.44, 0.85) mmHg for PM₁₀ (10 μg/m³), PM_2.5–10 (5 μg/m³), PM_2.5 absorbance (10^–5/m), NO_x (20 μg/m³), and NO₂ (10 μg/m³), respectively. PM_2.5 was not associated with diastolic BP, and none of the air pollutants was associated with systolic BP. Associations of diastolic BP with PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 absorbance were stronger among participants with hypertension, diabetes, or a body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m² than among participants without these conditions. One-year air pollution exposures were not associated with hypertension.

Conclusions

One-year exposures to PM₁₀, PM_2.5–10, PM_2.5 absorbance, and NO_x were associated with higher diastolic BP in elderly residents of Taipei.

Citation

Chen SY, Wu CF, Lee JH, Hoffmann B, Peters A, Brunekreef B, Chu DC, Chan CC. 2015. Associations between long-term air pollutant exposures and blood pressure in elderly residents of Taipei City: a cross-sectional study. Environ Health Perspect 123:779–784; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408771