Chen Fuhai, Zhang Jin, Xie Jing, Fu Xiao
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, affiliated with Hangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
J Chin Med Assoc. 2025 Jun 1;88(6):481-485. doi: 10.1097/JCMA.0000000000001242. Epub 2025 Apr 30.
The issue of air pollution is a concern that affects the health of individuals globally. Air pollutants (APs) have been linked to upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs); however, the exact association between them remains unclear.
Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was performed to examine the causal relationship between APs and URTIs. Data regarding APs and URTIs were obtained from genome-wide association studies. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with each exposure were defined as instrumental variables. Inverse variance weighting is the primary method for analyzing causal effects. Quality control was performed using MR-Egger, weighted mode, simple mode, and weighted median. Heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran's Q. The MR-Egger test was used to evaluate pleiotropy. Sensitivity analysis was performed using the "leave-one-out" method.
MR analysis revealed that airborne particulate matter with a diameter ≤10 micrometers (PM 10 ) had a notable impact on acute pharyngitis, whereas nitrogen dioxide had a significant impact on chronic rhinitis, chronic nasopharyngitis, and chronic pharyngitis. Pleiotropy and heterogeneity were not observed.
Higher PM 10 levels were associated with a greater likelihood of developing acute pharyngitis. Increased nitrogen dioxide concentrations were associated with an increased risk for chronic rhinitis, nasopharyngitis, and pharyngitis. As such, controlling APs is crucial for preventing and treating URTIs.
空气污染问题是一个影响全球个人健康的关注点。空气污染物（APs）已被证明与上呼吸道感染（URTIs）有关；然而，它们之间的确切关联仍不明确。
进行两样本孟德尔随机化（MR）以检验空气污染物与上呼吸道感染之间的因果关系。关于空气污染物和上呼吸道感染的数据来自全基因组关联研究。与每种暴露相关的单核苷酸多态性被定义为工具变量。逆方差加权是分析因果效应的主要方法。使用MR-Egger、加权模式、简单模式和加权中位数进行质量控制。使用Cochran's Q评估异质性。MR-Egger检验用于评估多效性。使用“留一法”进行敏感性分析。
MR分析显示，直径≤10微米的空气中颗粒物（PM10）对急性咽炎有显著影响，而二氧化氮对慢性鼻炎、慢性鼻咽炎和慢性咽炎有显著影响。未观察到多效性和异质性。
较高的PM10水平与发生急性咽炎的可能性更大有关。二氧化氮浓度升高与慢性鼻炎、鼻咽炎和咽炎的风险增加有关。因此，控制空气污染物对于预防和治疗上呼吸道感染至关重要。
