Adults living in areas with high levels of air pollution are more likely to suffer from multiple long-term health problems

A new UK study of 364,000 people shows that exposure to traffic-related air pollution increases the likelihood of multiple long-term physical and mental health problems
.

The study, led by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London, is the world's largest study
on whether air pollution exposure is linked to the occurrence of a variety of long-term health conditions.

Multimorbidity is defined as having two or more physical or mental health conditions affecting 27% of adults
in primary care in the UK.
It increases the use of healthcare services and increases the cost of primary and secondary care, but its relationship with air pollution has not been studied in the UK until now
.

The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, shows that high levels of transportation-related air pollution — fine particulate matter 2.
5 (PM2.
5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) — are associated
with an increased risk of at least two long-term health conditions.
Co-occurring neurological, respiratory, cardiovascular and common mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, are most closely linked to these disorders
.

The study was funded
by the National Institute of Health and Wellness (NIHR) Maudsley Centre for Biomedical Research and the NIHR Applied Research Partnership (ARC) South London.

Dr Amy Ronaldson, an associate researcher at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London and lead author of the study, said: "People with more than one long-term health condition have a lower quality of life and are more
dependent on the healthcare system.
Research funded by our National Institutes of Health shows that those who live in areas with higher traffic-related air pollution are at
greater risk of multiple health diseases.
The study does not prove that air pollution causes a wide range of diseases, but it does provide a basis
for further research in this area.
Simple measures to reduce traffic levels may improve lives and reduce the strain
on our healthcare system.
”

The researchers analysed data from the UK Biobank, a large biomedical database and research resource containing anonymous genetic, lifestyle and health information
from 500,000 UK participants.
Be between 40 and 69 years old
.
Participants were assessed for 36 physical and 5 mental health chronic conditions
.
Polymorbidity is defined as having two or more of these conditions
.

Physical and mental health data from the UK Biobank in 2010 correlated with
estimated air pollution concentrations at participants' residential addresses.

The study found that participants exposed to high concentrations (above 10 μ g/m3) of fine particulate matter had a 21%
increased risk of developing two or more simultaneous conditions compared to participants exposed to concentrations below 10 μ g/m3.

Studies have shown that participants exposed to NO2 concentrations above 30 μ g/m3 have a 20%
increased risk of developing two or more simultaneous conditions compared to participants exposed to NO2 concentrations below 20 μ g/m3.

In people with a variety of diseases, increased exposure to PM2.
5 and NO2 was associated with
greater severity of co-occurring diseases.

Dr Ioannis Bakolis, a reader at King's College London's IoPPN and senior author of the study, said: "How air pollution affects multiple organs and systems at the same time is not fully understood, but there is evidence that air particles may trigger mechanisms such as inflammation, oxidative stress and immune activation, causing damage
to the brain, heart, blood, lungs and intestines.
"

"Our research suggests that air pollution may negatively affect several body systems through a common mechanism, increasing the likelihood that people will
develop multiple long-term health problems.
More research is needed to understand how air pollution affects different body systems, but addressing air pollution may help prevent and mitigate the debilitating effects
of multiple long-term health conditions.
”

The researchers found several patterns of association: the most closely linked were primarily diseases related to the respiratory system (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and cardiovascular systems (atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease, heart failure), but also to the nervous system and common psychiatric disorders (stroke, substance abuse, depression, anxiety
).

The study, titled "Associations between air pollution and multimorbidity in the UK Biobank: A cross-sectional study," was published in Frontiers in Public Health
.

The research was supported
by funding from the National Institute of Health and Care (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre in South London, the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, King's College London and the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration in South London.