Association Between Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and the Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment in a Chinese Urban Area: A Case-Control Study

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Xie, Xin-Yan^{a; b; c; 1} | Huang, Lin-Ya^{a; 1} | Cheng, Gui-Rong^{a; b; c; 1} | Liu, Dan^{a; b; c} | Hu, Fei-Fei^{a; b} | Zhang, Jing-Jing^a | Han, Gang-Bin^a | Liu, Xiao-Chang^a | Wang, Jun-Yi^a | Zhou, Juan^a | Zeng, De-Yang^a | Liu, Jing^a | Nie, Qian-Qian^a | Song, Dan^a | Yu, Ya-Fu^a | Hu, Chen-Lu^a | Fu, Yi-Di^a | Li, Shi-Yue^a | Cai, Cheng^a | Cui, Yu-Yang^a | Cai, Wan-Ying^a | Li, Yi-Qing^a | Fan, Ren-Jia^a | Wan, Hong^a | Xu, Lang^{a; b; c} | Ou, Yang-Ming^{a; b; c} | Chen, Xing-Xing^{a; b} | Zhou, Yan-Ling^{a; b} | Chen, Yu-Shan^{a; c} | Li, Jin-Quan^{a; b; c} | Wei, Zhen^{a; c} | Wu, Qiong^{a; b} | Mei, Yu-Fei^{a; b} | Tan, Wei^b | Song, Shao-Jun^d | Zeng, Yan^{a; b; c; *}

Affiliations: [a] Brain Science and Advanced Technology Institute, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China | [b] Geriatric Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China | [c] School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China | [d] Reproductive Medicine Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Yan Zeng, PhD, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, West Huangjiahu Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430065, China. E-mail: zengyan68@wust.edu.cn; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5119-5448.

Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: Background:As a prodromal stage of dementia, significant emphasis has been placed on the identification of modifiable risks of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Research has indicated a correlation between exposure to air pollution and cognitive function in older adults. However, few studies have examined such an association among the MCI population inChina. Objective:We aimed to explore the association between air pollution exposure and MCI risk from the Hubei Memory and Aging Cohort Study. Methods:We measured four pollutants from 2015 to 2018, 3 years before the cognitive assessment of the participants. Logistic regression models were employed to calculate odds ratios (ORs) to assess the relationship between air pollutants and MCI risk. Results:Among 4,205 older participants, the adjusted ORs of MCI risk for the highest quartile of PM2.5, PM10, O3, and SO2 were 1.90 (1.39, 2.62), 1.77 (1.28, 2.47), 0.56 (0.42, 0.75), and 1.18 (0.87, 1.61) respectively, compared with the lowest quartile. Stratified analyses indicated that such associations were found in both males and females, but were more significant in older participants. Conclusions:Our findings are consistent with the growing evidence suggesting that air pollution increases the risk of mild cognitive decline, which has considerable guiding significance for early intervention of dementia in the older population. Further studies in other populations and broader geographical areas are warranted to validate these findings.

Keywords: Air pollution, Hubei Memory and Aging Cohort Study, mild cognitive impairment, older Chinese population

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-231186

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 98, no. 3, pp. 941-955, 2024