Journal Article

Childhood traffic-related air pollution and adverse changes in subclinical atherosclerosis measures from childhood to adulthood

Danza, Phoebe, Bastain, Theresa, Gauderman, W. James, Breton, Carrie, Hodis, Howard N., Habre, Rima, Lurmann, Frederick, Farzan, Shohreh F., Avol, Edward

2021

Overview

Background Chronic exposure to air pollutants is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among adults. However, little is known about how air pollution may affect the development of subclinical atherosclerosis in younger populations. Carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a measure of subclinical atherosclerosis that provides insight into early CVD pathogenesis. Methods In a pilot study of 70 participants from the Southern California Children’s Health Study, we investigated CIMT progression from childhood to adulthood. Using carotid artery ultrasound images obtained at age 10 and follow-up images at age 21–22, we examined associations between childhood ambient and traffic-related air pollutants with changes in CIMT over time and attained adult CIMT using linear mixed-effects models adjusted for potential confounders. Average residential childhood exposures (i.e., birth to time of measurement at 10–11 years) were assigned for regional, ambient pollutants (ozone, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, interpolated from regulatory air monitoring data) and traffic-related nitrogen oxides (NO x ) by road class (modeled using the CALINE4 line source dispersion model). Traffic density was calculated within a 300-m residential buffer. Results For each 1 standard deviation (SD) increase in childhood traffic-related total NO x exposure, we observed greater yearly rate of change in CIMT from childhood to adulthood (β: 2.17 μm/yr, 95% CI: 0.78–3.56). Increases in annual rate of CIMT change from childhood to adulthood also were observed with freeway NO x exposure (β: 2.24 μm/yr, 95% CI: 0.84–3.63) and traffic density (β: 2.11 μm/yr, 95% CI: 0.79–3.43). Traffic exposures were also related to increases in attained CIMT in early adulthood. No associations of CIMT change or attained level were observed with ambient pollutants. Conclusions Overall, we observed adverse changes in CIMT over time in relation to childhood traffic-related NO x exposure and traffic density in our study population. While these results must be cautiously interpreted given the limited sample size, the observed associations of traffic measures with CIMT suggest a need for future studies to more fully explore this relationship.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Adult / Adulthood / Age / Air monitoring / Air Pollutants - adverse effects / Air Pollutants - analysis / Air pollution / Air Pollution - adverse effects / Air Pollution - analysis / Arteriosclerosis / Atherosclerosis / Atherosclerosis - diagnostic imaging / Atherosclerosis - epidemiology / Blood pressure / Body mass index / Cardiovascular disease / Cardiovascular diseases / Carotid arteries / Carotid Arteries - diagnostic imaging / Carotid artery / Carotid Intima-Media Thickness / Child / Child development / Childhood / Children / Chronic exposure / Consent / Coronary vessels / Earth and Environmental Science / Environment / Environmental aspects / Environmental Epidemiology / Environmental Exposure - adverse effects / Environmental Exposure - analysis / Environmental Health / Exposure / Family medical history / Female / Health aspects / Health risks / Heart diseases / Humans / Male / Model testing / Nitrogen dioxide / Nitrogen Dioxide - adverse effects / Nitrogen Dioxide - analysis / Nitrogen oxides / Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine / Ozone - analysis / Particulate matter / Particulate Matter - analysis / Pathogenesis / Photochemicals / Pilot Projects / Pollutants / Pollution monitoring / Population density / Population studies / Public Health / Questionnaires / Risk factors / Time measurement / Traffic / Traffic models / Traffic volume / Traffic-Related Pollution - adverse effects / Traffic-Related Pollution - analysis / Ultrasonic imaging / Ultrasound / Vehicle Emissions - analysis / Vehicle Emissions - toxicity / Young Adult / Young adults