Wang Jing, Teng Di, Yang Kaijie, Liu Siying, Lu Cihang, Shan Zhongyan, Teng Weiping, Li Yongze
Eur Thyroid J. 2025 Aug 8;14(4). doi: 10.1530/ETJ-25-0106.
Globally prevalent, thyroid diseases are linked to environmental factors such as air pollution. This study examines the link between particulate matter (PM)1 exposure and thyroid disease rates in China.
We analyzed data from 73,900 adults across 31 Chinese provinces, using a high-resolution spatial-temporal extremity tree model to estimate PM1 and PM2.5 levels, and thyroid function tests to assess disease prevalence. Multivariate-adjusted ORs evaluated PM1's link to thyroid disease. This cross-sectional study is adept at identifying associations but cannot establish causality due to its single-time data collection limitation.
Higher PM1 level exposure was significantly linked to an increased prevalence of thyroid diseases, including overt hypothyroidism, autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT), and TgAb positivity. A linear dose-response relationship was observed between PM1 concentration and both AIT and TgAb positivity. The study also revealed a significant association between PM1 exposure and autoimmune overt hypothyroidism, suggesting that thyroid dysfunction may be primarily mediated through autoimmune mechanisms. In addition, iodine status significantly influenced PM1's effects, with lower levels enhancing susceptibility to thyroid issues. Furthermore, every 1% increase in the PM1/PM2.5 ratio was related to the prevalence of overt hypothyroidism (OR = 1.03; 95% CI: 1.03-1.04) and subclinical hypothyroidism (OR = 1.03; 95% CI: 1.03-1.04).
PM1 exposure is associated with thyroid diseases, particularly AIT and TgAb positivity, with iodine status playing a modifying role. PM1 may be a key factor in PM2.5-related thyroid disease risk. Further prospective cohort studies are warranted to validate these findings.
甲状腺疾病在全球普遍存在，与空气污染等环境因素有关。本研究探讨了中国细颗粒物（PM）1暴露与甲状腺疾病发病率之间的联系。
我们分析了中国31个省份73900名成年人的数据，使用高分辨率时空极端树模型估计PM1和PM2.5水平，并通过甲状腺功能测试评估疾病患病率。多变量调整后的比值比评估了PM1与甲状腺疾病的联系。这项横断面研究擅长识别关联，但由于其单次数据收集的局限性，无法确定因果关系。
较高的PM1暴露水平与甲状腺疾病患病率增加显著相关，包括显性甲状腺功能减退、自身免疫性甲状腺炎（AIT）和TgAb阳性。在PM1浓度与AIT和TgAb阳性之间观察到线性剂量反应关系。该研究还揭示了PM1暴露与自身免疫性显性甲状腺功能减退之间存在显著关联，表明甲状腺功能障碍可能主要通过自身免疫机制介导。此外，碘状态显著影响PM1的作用，较低水平会增加对甲状腺问题的易感性。此外，PM1/PM2.5比值每增加1%与显性甲状腺功能减退（比值比=1.03；95%置信区间：1.03 - 1.04）和亚临床甲状腺功能减退（比值比=1.03；95%置信区间：1.03 - 1.04）的患病率相关。
PM1暴露与甲状腺疾病有关，特别是与AIT和TgAb阳性有关，碘状态起调节作用。PM1可能是与PM2.5相关的甲状腺疾病风险的关键因素。有必要进行进一步的前瞻性队列研究来验证这些发现。
