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Long-term exposure to high particulate matter pollution and incident hypertension: a 12-year cohort study in northern China

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 35, pages 1129–1138 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

Numerous cohort studies have reported the association of long-term exposure to particulate matter <10 μm in diameter (PM10) and hypertension in American and European countries. However, these results have been inconsistent and subject to various confounding factors. The study aimed to explore the effect of long-term exposure to high-level concentrations of PM10 on incident hypertension in a large-scale cohort from northern China. A retrospective cohort study of 39,054 participants aged between 23 and 98 years old from four cities in northern China was followed from 1998 to 2009. Excluding those with hypertension, 37,386 non-hypertensive participants (overall population) were followed for self-reported hypertension. The individuals’ exposure to PM10 was the mean concentration during the follow-up period, according to the data of local environmental monitoring centers. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated by Cox proportional hazards models. The adjusted potential confounding factors included sociodemographic information, lifestyle, and diet. There were 2619 (7.0%) incident cases of hypertension among the overall population. In multivariable models, the HR (95% CI) of incident hypertension was 1.537 (1.515, 1.560) for each 10 μg/m3 increase in PM10. Stratified analyses showed individuals (age <65) were prone to developing hypertension. Moreover, the effects of PM10 increased and produced an HR (95% CI) of 1.555 (1.527, 1.584) for the healthy population in the sensitivity analysis. We found that the association between long-term exposure to PM10 air pollution and incident hypertension was significantly positive.

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Fig. 1: Study areas and the locations of air pollution monitors in four cities in China.
Fig. 2: Detailed information on study population recruitment.
Fig. 3: Annual average concentrations of PM10 (μg/m3) in the 15 districts of four cities in northern China.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFC0211600 & 2017YFC0211605), the National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFC0211704), and the Special Environmental Research Fund for Public Welfare from Ministry of Environmental Protection of China (No. 200709048).

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Chaokang Li, Yaoyan Li

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China

    Chaokang Li, Yaoyan Li, Huanyu Liu, Liwen Zhang, Xi Chen, Xueli Yang, Anqi Shan, Yu Zhang, Xuejun Li, Hui Wu, Mengfan Yan, Ping Xian, Zhao Ma, Pengyi Guo & Nai-jun Tang

  2. Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environment, Nutrition, and Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China

    Chaokang Li, Yaoyan Li, Huanyu Liu, Liwen Zhang, Xi Chen, Xueli Yang, Anqi Shan, Yu Zhang, Xuejun Li, Hui Wu, Mengfan Yan, Ping Xian, Zhao Ma, Pengyi Guo & Nai-jun Tang

  3. Center for International Collaborative Research on Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, 300070, China

    Chaokang Li, Yaoyan Li, Huanyu Liu, Liwen Zhang, Xi Chen, Xueli Yang, Anqi Shan, Yu Zhang, Xuejun Li, Hui Wu, Mengfan Yan, Ping Xian, Zhao Ma, Pengyi Guo & Nai-jun Tang

  4. Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China

    Guang-hui Dong

  5. School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250062, China

    Ya-min Liu

  6. Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenbei New District, 110122, Shenyang, Liaoning, China

    Jie Chen

  7. School of Public Health, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China

    Tong Wang

  8. Taiyuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Taiyuan, 030001, China

    Bao-xin Zhao

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Li, C., Li, Y., Liu, H. et al. Long-term exposure to high particulate matter pollution and incident hypertension: a 12-year cohort study in northern China. J Hum Hypertens 35, 1129–1138 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41371-020-00443-x

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