Does long-term exposure to ambient air pollution affect the onset, progression, and prognosis of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM)?
Long-term exposure (EBioMedicine 2022, PMID 36174399) — during a median follow-up of 12.0 years, 56,877 participants developed a first cardiometabolic disease (FCMD), 8,616 developed CMM, and 22,423 died. The abstract for Long-term exposure states no limitations. Clean air could serve as an upstream strategy to reduce both the initiation and progression of CMM, particularly in vulnerable populations.
Source: EBioMedicine 2022, PMID 36174399 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: medium
EBioMedicine · 2022 · PMID 36174399 · DOI 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104282
Long-term exposure to air pollution increases the risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases, progressing to multimorbidity, and all-cause mortality, especially in certain vulnerable groups.
The question
Does long-term exposure to ambient air pollution affect the onset, progression, and prognosis of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM)?
What they tested
The study aims to investigate the association between air pollution and the trajectory of CMM, as this has not been previously studied.
How they did it
This prospective analysis used data from the UK Biobank cohort, including 410,494 middle- and old-age participants. CMM was defined as the presence of at least two cardiometabolic diseases (type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease, or stroke). A multi-state model was used to analyze the association between air pollution and the trajectory of CMM.
What they found
During a median follow-up of 12.0 years, 56,877 participants developed a first cardiometabolic disease (FCMD), 8,616 developed CMM, and 22,423 died. Per interquartile range increase of fine particulate matter, the risks of transitioning from baseline to FCMD, FCMD to CMM, and baseline to all-cause mortality increased by 3%, 3%, and 5% respectively. The risk of transitioning from FCMD to all-cause mortality increased by 2%. For nitrogen dioxide, the corresponding increases were 3%, 6%, 4%, and 6%. Older participants, males, and individuals with excessive alcohol drinking and lower economic levels were more susceptible to these risks.
| Baseline to FCMD (PM) | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| FCMD to CMM (PM) | 3 | |
| Baseline to Mortality (PM) | 5 | |
| FCMD to Mortality (PM) | 2 | |
| Baseline to FCMD (NO2) | 3 | |
| FCMD to CMM (NO2) | 6 | |
| Baseline to Mortality (NO2) | 4 | |
| FCMD to Mortality (NO2) | 6 |
Percentage increase in risk for various cardiometabolic transitions per interquartile range increase in fine particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
What it means
Exposure to air pollution may play a significant role in nearly all transition phases of CMM development. Clean air could serve as an upstream strategy to reduce both the initiation and progression of CMM, particularly in vulnerable populations.
Limitations
The abstract does not explicitly state any limitations of the study.
Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.
The paper at a glance
| Title | Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution is a risk factor for trajectory of cardiometabolic multimorbidity: A prospective study in the UK Biobank. |
|---|---|
| Journal | EBioMedicine |
| Year | 2022 |
| PMID | 36174399 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104282 ↗ |
| Topic | Environment, air, water & exposures |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
Where Magellan uses this paper
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Air Purification
Randomized controlled trials show that running HEPA particle filtration indoors produces real, rapid exposure reductions and modest health effects: personal PM2.5 fell from 15.5 to 7.4 µg/m³ in one senior-housing trial, with blood pressure about 3 mm Hg lower after three days, and pooled analyses report systolic…
The AllerAir Deep-Bed Carbon Purifier is a portable indoor air cleaner built around a large bed of…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). Does long-term exposure to ambient air pollution affect the onset, progression, and prognosis of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM)? [Plain-English summary of EBioMedicine 2022, PMID 36174399, DOI 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104282]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/airpollution.html@misc{magellan_airpollution,
title = {Does long-term exposure to ambient air pollution affect the onset, progression, and prognosis of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM)?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/airpollution.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 36174399; DOI 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104282; EBioMedicine 2022. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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