Author Interviews, Environmental Risks, Global Health, OBGYNE, Pediatrics / 18.02.2017
Air Pollution Linked To Millions of Preterm Births
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
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Dr. Chris Malley[/caption]
Chris Malley PhD
The Stockholm Environment Institute
University of York
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: When a baby is born preterm (at less than 37 weeks of gestation, an indicator of premature birth), there is an increased risk of infant death, or long-term physical and neurological disabilities. For example, 965,000 infant deaths in 2013 (35% of all neonatal deaths) have been estimated to be due to preterm birth complications. In 2010, an estimated 14.9 million births were preterm – about 4–5% of the total in some European countries, but up to 15–18% in some African and South Asian countries. The human and economic costs are enormous.
There are many risk factors for preterm birth – from the mother’s age, to illness, to poverty and other social factors. Recent research has suggested that exposure to air pollution could also be a risk factor. Our study quantifies for the first time the global impact of pregnant women's exposure to outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) by combining data about air pollution in different countries with knowledge about how exposure to different levels of air pollution is associated with preterm birth rates.
Dr. Chris Malley[/caption]
Chris Malley PhD
The Stockholm Environment Institute
University of York
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: When a baby is born preterm (at less than 37 weeks of gestation, an indicator of premature birth), there is an increased risk of infant death, or long-term physical and neurological disabilities. For example, 965,000 infant deaths in 2013 (35% of all neonatal deaths) have been estimated to be due to preterm birth complications. In 2010, an estimated 14.9 million births were preterm – about 4–5% of the total in some European countries, but up to 15–18% in some African and South Asian countries. The human and economic costs are enormous.
There are many risk factors for preterm birth – from the mother’s age, to illness, to poverty and other social factors. Recent research has suggested that exposure to air pollution could also be a risk factor. Our study quantifies for the first time the global impact of pregnant women's exposure to outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) by combining data about air pollution in different countries with knowledge about how exposure to different levels of air pollution is associated with preterm birth rates.
Dr. Marko Mornar Jelavic[/caption]
Marko Mornar Jelavic, MD, PhD
Department for Internal Medicine and Dialysis
Health Center Zagreb
Zagreb, Croatia
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia which is placed in South-Eastern Europe. The wider Zagreb metropolitan area has the total population of up to 1.2 million (20% of the total Croatia’s population). The climate of Zagreb is classified as a humid continental. The average daily mean temperature in winter is around +1 °C (from December to February) and the average temperature in summer is 22.0 °C.
For the first time, we wanted to investigate whether particles of dimensions ≤10 micrometers (PM10) nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3), as well as certain meteorological conditions (air temperature, humidity and pressure) have any impact on appearance of myocardial infarction (MI) in the region with a humid continental climate.
Maayan Yitshak Sade[/caption]
Maayan Yitshak Sade MPH
Chief Scientific Officer
Clinical Research Center,
Soroka University Medical Center, Israel and
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Dr. Victor Novack[/caption]
Victor Novack, MD, PhD
Soroka University Medical Center and Ben-Gurion University in Beer Sheva, Israel
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Numerous studies found association between exposure the air pollution and increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. In recent years links were found between air pollution and diabetes as well. The scientific evidence supports a causal association between air pollution and oxidative stress, possibly involving impaired metabolism of glucose and lipids. In a recent study performed by our group, we observed a significantly increased risk for ischemic stroke among young adults, associated with air pollution exposure. Following these findings, and as a part of the possible theory linking the association air pollution exposure and cardiovascular diseases, we sought to investigate if this association might be mediated through the well-established cardiovascular risk factors such as abnormal lipid and glucose metabolism.
Dr. Kathryn Reid[/caption]
Kathryn Reid PhD
Research associate
Professor of Neurology
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Reid: There is increasing evidence that light and dark exposure patterns over time impact health outcomes such as body weight and food intake.
This study found that bright light exposure increased insulin resistance compared to dim light exposure in both the morning and the evening.
In the evening, bright light also caused higher peak glucose (blood sugar) levels.
