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66/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 66 out of 100. Risk factors

Topic: Air pollution and environmental exposures

Plain-language summary

Background Ambient air pollution has been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the elderly. However, its effects on AD have not been meta-analyzed comprehensively. Objective We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the associations between air pollution and AD incidence. Methods We searched PubMed and Web of Science for indexed publications up to March 2020. Odds risk (OR) and confidence intervals (CI) were estimated for particulate matter (PM)10 (PM10), PM2.5, ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO). The subgroup analysis was conducted based on the pollution levels. Results Nine studies were included in the meta-analysis and review. The OR per 10μg/m3 increase of PM2.5 was 1.95 (95% CI: 0.88-4.30). The corresponding values per 10μg/m3 increment of other pollutants were 1.03 (95% CI: 0.68-1.57) for O3, 1.00 (95% CI: 0.89-1.13) for NO2, and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.91-0.99) for PM10 (only one study), respectively. Overall OR of the five air pollutants above with AD was 1.32 (95% CI: 1.09-1.61), suggesting a positive association between ambient air pollution and AD incidence. The sub-analysis indicated that the OR (2.20) in heavily polluted regions was notably higher than that in lightly polluted regions (1.06). Although AD risk rate data related to SO2 or CO exposure are still limited, the epidemiologic and toxicological evidence indicated that higher concentration of SO2 or CO exposure increased risks of dementia, implying that SO2 or CO might have a potential impact on AD. Conclusion Air pollution exposure may exacerbate AD development.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Fu, P., & Yung, K. K. L. (2020). Air Pollution and Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-200483

Vancouver

Fu P, Yung KKL. Air Pollution and Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. 2020. doi:10.3233/jad-200483. PMID: 32741830.

BibTeX

@article{fu2020-32741830,
  author  = {Fu, P. and Yung, K. K. L.},
  title   = {{Air Pollution and Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis}},
  journal = {Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD},
  year    = {2020},
  doi     = {10.3233/jad-200483},
  pmid    = {32741830},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-200483}
}

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How to read this study

Design: this is a pooled review. It combines earlier studies, so it is only as good as the studies it pools. Check how many were included, whether they were similar enough to combine, and whether the authors report inconsistency between them.
Size: the record gives no participant count. Look for one in the original before trusting a pattern.
Effect: the record gives no effect size, so the summary above cannot say how large any difference was.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded high. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. High means the abstract mentions a randomized design, a meta-analysis or a systematic review. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

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Key findings

Background Ambient air pollution has been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the elderly.
Results Nine studies were included in the meta-analysis and review.
Overall OR of the five air pollutants above with AD was 1.32 (95% CI: 1.09-1.61), suggesting a positive association between ambient air pollution and AD incidence.
The sub-analysis indicated that the OR (2.20) in heavily polluted regions was notably higher than that in lightly polluted regions (1.06).
Although AD risk rate data related to SO2 or CO exposure are still limited, the epidemiologic and toxicological evidence indicated that higher concentration of SO2 or CO exposure increased risks of dementia, implying that SO2 or CO might have a potential impact on AD.

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Study details

Study designsystematic review
Evidence strengthHigh

How this study scored 66/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a systematic review of all the studies on the question. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported and studied in people because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multicenter collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 38 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 66 out of 100.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD)
Journal's citation record	— / 4	No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score
Study design	12 / 12	A systematic review of all the studies on the question
Strength of evidence	5 / 5	Rated “high” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	2 / 5	2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	0 / 4	Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	0 / 3	Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	A review of other studies — randomization is not credited here
Times cited	— / 7	No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score
Citations per year	— / 5	No citation count or no year — left out of this score
Impact for its field and year	— / 6	No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score
Cited by studies here	— / 6	Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score
Still being cited	— / 4	No yearly citation counts — left out of this score
Senior author's track record	— / 4	Senior author's record not available — left out of this score
Institution's track record	— / 3	No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score
Multicenter collaboration	— / 3	Institutions not listed — left out of this score
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 32741830)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Points	38 / 58	Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 38 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 66 out of 100.
Total	66 / 100	—

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