Acute Impact of Fine Particulate Air Pollution on Cardiac Arrhythmias in a Population-Based Sample of Adolescents: The Penn State Child Cohort

• Published in: Journal of the American Heart Association Vol. 11; no. 18; p. e026370
• Main Authors: He, Fan, Yanosky, Jeff D, Fernandez-Mendoza, Julio, Chinchilli, Vernon M, Al-Shaar, Laila, Vgontzas, Alexandros N, Bixler, Edward O, Liao, Duanping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Wiley 20.09.2022
• Subjects: Adolescent; adolescents; Adult; air pollution; Air Pollution - adverse effects; Atrial Premature Complexes - diagnosis; Atrial Premature Complexes - epidemiology; cardiac arrhythmia; Child; Humans; Particulate Matter - adverse effects; Polyvinyl Chloride; premature ventricular contraction; Ventricular Premature Complexes - chemically induced; Ventricular Premature Complexes - diagnosis; Ventricular Premature Complexes - epidemiology; premature ventricular contraction; air pollution; adolescents; cardiac arrhythmia
• ISSN: 2047-9980; 2047-9980
• DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.122.026370

Background Fine particulate (fine particles with aerodynamic diameters ≤2.5 μm [PM ]) exposure has been associated with a risk of cardiac arrhythmias in adults. However, the association between PM exposure and cardiac arrhythmias in adolescents remains unclear. Methods and Results To investigate the association and time course between PM exposure with cardiac arrhythmias in adolescents, we analyzed the data collected from 322 adolescents who participated in the PSCC (Penn State Child Cohort) follow-up examination. We obtained individual-level 24-hour PM concentrations with a nephelometer. Concurrent with the PM measure, we obtained 24-hour ECG data using a Holter monitor, from which cardiac arrhythmias, including premature atrial contractions and premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), were identified. PM concentration and numbers of premature atrial contractions/PVCs were summarized into 30-minute-based segments. Polynomial distributed lag models within a framework of a negative binomial model were used to assess the effect of PM concentration on numbers of premature atrial contractions and PVCs. PM exposure was associated with an acute increase in number of PVCs. Specifically, a 10 μg/m increase in PM concentration was associated with a 2% (95% CI, 0.4%-3.3%) increase in PVC counts 0.5 to 1.0, 1.0 to 1.5, and 1.5 to 2.0 hours after the exposure. Cumulatively, a 10 μg/m increment in PM was associated with a 5% (95% CI, 1%-10%) increase in PVC counts within 2 hours after exposure. PM concentration was not associated with premature atrial contraction. Conclusions PM exposure was associated with an acute increased number of ventricular arrhythmias in a population-based sample of adolescents. The time course of the effect of PM on ventricular arrhythmia is within 2 hours after exposure.