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Role of exposure to air pollutants in the development of type 1 diabetes before and after 5 yr of age
Author(s) -
Hathout Eba H.,
Beeson W. Lawrence,
Nahab Fadi,
Rabadi Alissar,
Thomas Wendy,
Mace John W.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
pediatric diabetes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.678
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1399-5448
pISSN - 1399-543X
DOI - 10.1034/j.1399-5448.2002.30403.x
Subject(s) - medicine , diabetes mellitus , risk factor , incidence (geometry) , air pollutants , type 1 diabetes , type 2 diabetes , logistic regression , demography , air pollution , endocrinology , chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , sociology , optics
Objective: To assess the role of ambient air pollutants in type 1 diabetes in children. Design and methods: Prediagnosis exposure to five air pollutants was studied in two subgroups with onset of type 1 diabetes before and after 5 yr of age, and two matched subgroups of healthy children. Zip codes and dates of residence from birth to diagnosis were used to obtain geographic‐ and time‐specific air concentrations of SO 2 , NO 2 , ozone (O 3 ), SO 4 , and particulate matter < 10 µm in diameter (PM 10 ). Prediagnosis time‐adjusted pollutant exposure levels were created by summing up zip code‐specific pollution data and dividing by months of exposure from birth to diagnosis. Two‐tailed t ‐test and logistic regression were used to evaluate relative effects and test data between cases and controls. Results: Prediagnosis average O 3 exposure was significantly higher in children with type 1 diabetes than in healthy controls. Prediagnosis PM 10 exposure was significantly higher in children diagnosed before 5 yr of age, when compared with healthy controls. SO 2 exposure was significantly higher in children with later‐onset diabetes compared with those with early‐onset diabetes (EOD). NO 2 , SO 2 and SO 4 exposure was significantly lower in children diagnosed after 5 yr of age, when compared with healthy controls. O 3 , NO 2 , SO 4 and PM 10 levels did not significantly differ between the two diabetic subgroups. Conclusion: Increased ozone exposure may be a contributory factor to the increased incidence of type 1 diabetes. PM 10 may be a specific contributory factor to the development of type 1 diabetes before 5 yr of age.