Long-term exposure to air pollution might increase prevalence of osteoporosis in Chinese rural population.

OBJECTIVES

The associations of long-term exposure to air pollution with osteoporosis are rarely reported, especially in rural China. This study aimed to explore the association among rural Chinese population.

METHODS

A total of 8033 participants (18-79 years) derived from the Henan Rural Cohort Study (n = 39,259) were included in this cross-sectional study. Exposure to air pollutants was estimated using machine learning algorithms with satellite remote sensing, land use information, and meteorological data [including particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤1.0 μm (PM), ≤2.5 μm (PM), and ≤10 μm (PM), and nitrogen dioxide (NO)]. The bone mineral density of each individual was measured by using ultrasonic bone density apparatus and osteoporosis was defined based on the T-score ≤ -2.5. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the association of air pollution and osteoporosis prevalence.

RESULTS

We observed that per 1 μg/m increase in PM, PM, PM and NO were associated with a 14.9%, 14.6%, 7.3%, and 16.5% elevated risk of osteoporosis. Compared with individuals in the first quartile, individuals in the fourth quartile had higher odds ratio (OR) of osteoporosis (P-trend < 0.001), the ORs (95% confidence interval) were 2.08 (1.72, 2.50) for PM, 2.28 (1.90, 2.74) for PM, 1.93 (1.60, 2.32) for PM, and 2.02 (1.68, 2.41) for NO. It was estimated that 20.29%-24.36% of osteoporosis cases could be attributable to air pollution in the rural population from China.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term exposure to air pollutants were positively associated with high-risk of osteoporosis, indicated that improving air quality may be beneficial to improve rural residents health.