Long-term exposure to air pollutants may increase the risk of developing lupus, an autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs.
- Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by a mask-like rash on the face called a wolf.
- Long-term exposure to air pollutants, such as PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen oxide, may increase the risk of developing this condition.
- People with high genetic risk and high exposure to air pollution had the highest risk of developing it.
Asthma, myocardial infarction, stroke… Pollutants of natural origin (sea spray, dust, pollen, etc.) or resulting from human activities (road traffic, energy production, industry, agriculture, etc.) present in the air and inhaled daily can aggravate chronic diseases or promote the onset of other pathologies. “There are few studies examining the risk of systemic lupus erythematosus associated with long-term exposure to air pollutants,” said researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China).
Lupus: 399 cases recorded in 11 years
That’s why they decided to conduct a study to explore the associations between long-term exposure to air pollutants and systemic lupus erythematosus and assess the interactions and joint effects of genetic risk and air pollutants. For the purposes of the research, published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatologyscientists reviewed data from 459,815 adults. Concentrations of air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen oxide) were estimated by a land use regression model.
During the follow-up of approximately 11 years, 399 cases of lupus were recorded. According to the authors, exposure to air pollutants was linked to a greater likelihood of developing lupus. As a reminder, this chronic autoimmune disease results in variable clinical manifestations and biological abnormalities, in particular the presence of antinuclear antibodies. It manifests itself by a rash on the face, in the shape of a mask called a wolf, and also affects other parts of the body (joints, kidneys, the coverings of the heart, the nervous system and lungs, the blood).
High genetic risk and high exposure to air pollution
The study also showed that people with high genetic risk and high exposure to air pollution had the highest risk of developing lupus, compared to people with low genetic risk and low exposure to air pollution.
“Our study provides crucial information on air pollution that contributes to autoimmune diseases. The findings can help inform the development of stricter air quality regulations to mitigate exposure to harmful pollutants and thereby reduce the risk of lupus,” said Yaohua Tian, lead author of the work, in a statement.
