Air pollution may be linked to kidney disease.
According to a new study from the University of Michigan, poor air quality may be responsible for some of the variance in kidney disease rates across the United States. Dr. Jennifer Bragg-Gresham and her colleagues wanted to investigate why the rates of chronic kidney disease (CKD) varied so strongly from region to region, and decided to focus on air pollution as a variable.
The team looked at data on over 1 million Americans gathered from 2010 Medicare records. When they compared this data to Environmental Protection Agency information on air pollution rated by county, controlling for personal history of patients and pre-existing conditions like diabetes and hypertension, they found that counties with higher levels of air pollution also had higher rates of chronic kidney disease. More alarmingly, the effect was significant even for levels of particulate matter much lower than the amount that is considered dangerous for high-risk groups. Even 8.4 micrograms per cubic meter was enough to raise the chronic kidney disease rate, whereas particulate matter in the air is usually only considered dangerous at 40 micrograms per cubic meter and above.
Dr. Bragg-Gresham emphasized the importance of continuing this line of study outside the United States, saying, "If air pollution is a risk factor for CKD, the impact is likely to be even greater in countries where pollution levels are much higher than in the U.S." She also called for more research into the effects of different kinds of particulate matter, using more thorough control techniques and taking into account patients' personal histories.
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