Investigation of the association between air pollutants and the long-term risk of sudden cardiac death
10.3760/cma.j.issn.1671-0282.2025.06.016
- VernacularTitle:空气污染物与心源性猝死长期发病风险的研究
- Author:
Yue PAN
1
;
Shui WANG
;
Linghui JIANG
;
Mengya LI
;
Yifan WANG
;
Juncheng DAI
;
Xufeng CHEN
;
Gang ZHANG
Author Information
1. 江苏省环境科学研究院，江苏省环境工程重点实验室，南京 210036
- Keywords:
Air pollutants;
Sudden cardiac death;
Mendelian randomization;
PM 2.5;
PM 2.5-10;
PM 10;
NO x;
NO 2
- From:
Chinese Journal of Emergency Medicine
2025;34(6):844-851
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:The association between air pollutants and the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between five air pollutants—PM 2.5, PM 2.5–10, PM 10, NO 2, and NO?—and the risk of SCD. Methods:We analyzed data from 460 862 participants in the UK Biobank cohort, all enrolled between 2006 and 2010, with no baseline SCD. Follow-up continued until the study endpoint. Annual average concentrations of the five pollutants were assessed. Associations between pollutants and SCD were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards models, followed by Mendelian randomization (MR) to assess causality.Results:Over a mean follow-up of 12.4 years, 2 662 SCD cases were recorded. After adjusting for confounders, no significant associations were found between air pollutants and SCD risk: PM 2.5 ( HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.99–1.07, P = 0.14), PM 2.5–10 ( HR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00–1.08, P = 0.08), PM 10 ( HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.99–1.03, P = 0.26), NO? ( HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.99–1.00, P = 0.26), and NO x ( HR 1.00, 95% CI 1.00–1.01, P = 0.19). MR analysis further supported the absence of causal relationships: PM 2.5 ( β = -0.149, P = 0.90), PM 2.5–10 ( β = 0.387, P = 0.62), PM 10 ( β = -0.994, P = 0.62), NO? ( β = –0.005, P = 0.99), and NO 2 ( β = –0.827, P = 0.25). Conclusions:This study found no evidence linking PM 2.5, PM 2.5–10, PM 10, NO?, or NO 2 to an increased risk of SCD. Mendelian randomization confirmed the lack of causal associations between these pollutants and SCD.
