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Fine Particle Exposure and Clinical Aggravation in Neurodegenerative Diseases in New York State
Nunez Yanelli, Boehme Amelia K, Weisskopf Marc G, Re Diane B, Navas-Acien Ana, van Donkelaar Aaron, Martin Randall V, Kioumourtzoglou Marianthi-Anna. Environmental health perspectives, 2021-02-09
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Adult-onset neurodegenerative diseases affect millions and negatively impact health care systems worldwide. Evidence suggests that air pollution may contribute to aggravation of neurodegeneration, but studies have been limited. We examined the potential association between long-term exposure to particulate matter ≤2.5μm in aerodynamic diameter [fine particulate matter (PM2.5)] and disease aggravation in Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's (PD) diseases and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), using first hospitalization as a surrogate of clinical aggravation. We used data from the New York Department of Health Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS 2000-2014) to construct annual county counts of first hospitalizations with a diagnosis of AD, PD, or ALS (total, urbanicity-, sex-, and age-stratified). We used annual PM2.5 concentrations estimated by a prediction model at a 1-km2 resolution, which we aggregated to population-weighted county averages to assign exposure to cases based on county of residence. We used outcome-specific mixed quasi-Poisson models with county-specific random intercepts to estimate rate ratios (RRs) for a 1-y PM2.5 exposure. We allowed for nonlinear exposure-outcome relationships using penalized splines and accounted for potential confounders. We found a positive nonlinear PM2.5-PD association that plateaued above 11 μg/m3 (RR=1.09, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.14 for a PM2.5 increase from 8.1 to 10.4 μg/m3). We also found a linear PM2.5-ALS positive association (RR=1.05, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.09 per 1-μg/m3 PM2.5 increase), and suggestive evidence of an association with AD. We found effect modification by age for PD and ALS with a stronger positive association in patients <70 years of age but found insufficient evidence of effect modification by sex or urbanization level for any of the outcomes. Our findings suggest that annual increase in county-level PM2.5 concentrations may contribute to clinical aggravation of PD and ALS. Importantly, the average annual PM2.5 concentration in our study was 8.1 μg/m3, below the current American national standards, suggesting the standards may not adequately protect the aging population. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7425.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Yanelli, N., Boehme Amelia, K., Weisskopf Marc, G., Re Diane, B., Ana, N.-A., Aaron, v. D., et al. (2021). Fine Particle Exposure and Clinical Aggravation in Neurodegenerative Diseases in New York State. Environmental health perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp7425
Vancouver
Yanelli N, Boehme Amelia K, Weisskopf Marc G, Re Diane B, Ana N.-A, Aaron vD, et al. Fine Particle Exposure and Clinical Aggravation in Neurodegenerative Diseases in New York State. Environmental health perspectives. 2021. doi:10.1289/ehp7425. PMID: 33555200.
BibTeX
@article{yanelli2021-33555200,
author = {Yanelli, Nunez and Boehme Amelia, K. and Weisskopf Marc, G. and Re Diane, B. and Ana, Navas-Acien and Aaron, van Donkelaar and Martin Randall, V. and Marianthi-Anna, Kioumourtzoglou},
title = {{Fine Particle Exposure and Clinical Aggravation in Neurodegenerative Diseases in New York State}},
journal = {Environmental health perspectives},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.1289/ehp7425},
pmid = {33555200},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp7425}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Evidence suggests that air pollution may contribute to aggravation of neurodegeneration, but studies have been limited.
- We found a positive nonlinear PM2.5-PD association that plateaued above 11 μg/m3 (RR=1.09, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.14 for a PM2.5 increase from 8.1 to 10.4 μg/m3).
- We found effect modification by age for PD and ALS with a stronger positive association in patients <70 years of age but found insufficient evidence of effect modification by sex or urbanization level for any of the outcomes.
- Our findings suggest that annual increase in county-level PM2.5 concentrations may contribute to clinical aggravation of PD and ALS.
Why it matters
This study found a positive link between long-term fine particulate air pollution and first hospitalization for Parkinson's disease, but not for Alzheimer's disease or ALS. It is about pollution exposure and disease aggravation, not treatment or prevention.
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Study details
- Effect sizeRR=1.09; RR=1.05
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 49/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Environmental health perspectives) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Environmental Health Perspectives: journal h-index 411 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2021 — within 6 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 | 3 / 3 | Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar) |
| 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 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 53 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-17) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 7.6 citations a year over 7 year(s) since 2021 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 24 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Marianthi‐Anna Kioumourtzoglou: h-index 42 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,236 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 33555200) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 49 / 100 | — |
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