The researchers, led by rheumatologist Dr Giovanni Adami of the Department of Medicine at the University of Verona, who published the paper in the medical journal RMD Open, analysed data on 81,363 people.

Long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with an increased risk of autoimmune diseases, particularly rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, according to a new Italian scientific study.

The researchers, led by rheumatologist Dr Giovanni Adami of the University of Verona’s Department of Medicine, who published the paper in the medical journal RMD Open, analysed data on 81,363 people (92% women) with an average age of 65 years, of whom 9,723 (12%) had been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition between 2016 and 2020.

The likelihood of such a condition was correlated with air quality data from 617 weather stations in Italy. In particular, elevated levels of particulate matter (PM10) were found to be associated with an increased risk of an autoimmune condition: Each increase of 10 micrograms of particulate matter per cubic metre of air (µg/m3) was found to increase the risk of such a condition by 7%.

Long-term exposure to PM10 (less than 10 millionths of a metre in diameter) particle levels above 30 µg/m3 and PM2.5 (less than 2.5 millionths of a metre in diameter) particles above 20 µg/m3 was associated with a 12% and 13% increase in the risk of autoimmune disease, respectively.

This is particularly true for rheumatoid arthritis, connective tissue diseases such as osteoarthritis, and inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis. Long-term exposure to air pollutants from vehicles and industries was associated with a 40% increase in risk of rheumatoid arthritis, 20% of inflammatory bowel disease and 15% of autoimmune connective tissue diseases.

Source. in.gr