Joint International Research Laboratory of Green Buildings and Built Environments, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China; National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings, Ministry of Science and Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.
Department of Geriatrics, Chongqing University Central Hospital, Chongqing Emergency Medical Center, Chongqing 400014, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2022 Apr 15;817:152695. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152695. Epub 2021 Dec 30.
The changing climate is one of the most important factors affecting public health. Older people are particularly threatened due to their less efficient immune systems. To evaluate the potential benefits of short-term indoor dehumidification on their circulation and cardiopulmonary health, we conducted a random, cross-over experiment with 36 healthy residents of an aged-care center in Chongqing, China in 2020. Vapor compression dehumidifiers were used over two 48-h periods. At the end of each 48 h, we immediately measured sixteen circulatory system biomarkers of inflammation, coagulation, and oxidative stress; lung function; blood pressure; and heart rate. Indoor temperature and relative humidity were monitored throughout the study period. Linear, mixed-effect models were used to associate health endpoints with indoor relative humidity. This intervention study showed that when the indoor relative humidity decreased from 75% to 45%: (1) the coagulation indicators, sCD40l, and PAI-1, decreased significantly, by 58.82% and 23.50%, respectively; (2) the inflammatory indicators, CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α decreased significantly, by 4.09%, 25.78%, and 10.60%, respectively; (3) PEF, FEV and FVC were increased significantly by 20.08%, 14.54%, and 15.75% respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the impact of short-term dehumidification on clinical and biochemical measures of cardiorespiratory health in humid areas, and our study suggests that RH in the dehumidified rooms (46.9 ± 8.7%) may be healthier than that in humid rooms (75.2 ± 7.9%). Humidity may be involved in the development of atherosclerosis by activating oxidative stress and mediating the secretion of inflammatory indicators. At the same time, platelet activation induced by oxidative stress stimulates thrombosis to increase cardiovascular risk in older people. Conclusion: This intervention study shows that in a Chinese city like Chongqing with serious indoor environmental humidity, indoor short-term dehumidification has obvious cardiopulmonary benefits for the healthy elderly.
气候变化是影响公众健康的最重要因素之一。老年人由于免疫系统效率较低，因此受到的威胁尤其大。为了评估短期室内除湿对其循环和心肺健康的潜在益处，我们于 2020 年在中国重庆的一家养老院进行了一项随机、交叉试验，共有 36 名健康居民参与。试验期间使用了蒸气压缩式除湿器，为期 48 小时。在每个 48 小时结束时，我们立即测量了 16 种循环系统炎症、凝血和氧化应激标志物、肺功能、血压和心率。在整个研究期间监测室内温度和相对湿度。使用线性混合效应模型将健康终点与室内相对湿度相关联。这项干预研究表明，当室内相对湿度从 75%降至 45%时：（1）凝血指标 sCD40l 和 PAI-1 分别显著下降 58.82%和 23.50%；（2）炎症指标 CRP、IL-6 和 TNF-α 分别显著下降 4.09%、25.78%和 10.60%；（3）PEF、FEV 和 FVC 分别显著增加 20.08%、14.54%和 15.75%。据我们所知，这是第一项研究，探讨了短期除湿对潮湿地区心肺健康的临床和生化指标的影响，我们的研究表明，除湿房间的相对湿度（46.9±8.7%）可能比潮湿房间（75.2±7.9%）更健康。湿度可能通过激活氧化应激和介导炎症指标的分泌而参与动脉粥样硬化的发生。同时，氧化应激引起的血小板激活刺激血栓形成，增加老年人的心血管风险。结论：这项干预研究表明，在中国重庆这样的城市，室内环境湿度严重，室内短期除湿对健康老年人有明显的心肺益处。
